Sermon for 11/27/22: First Sunday in Advent

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Misplaced Trust
Jeremiah 23:5-8

 

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

 

 

The Kingdom of Judah, through its heritage as an offshoot of Israel, began as a “theocracy.” Though both Israel and Judah had kings, the church was still the state, in a sense, and the state was the Church. Political leaders also served a spiritual purpose; they were to protect the nation from which Messiah would come. But they had not faithfully done what God had given them to do. These leaders were unfaithful stewards. Many of them had actively advocated the worship of pagan gods. And instead of trusting the Lord, they put their trust in alliances with neighboring nations, to protect them from their enemies. In the end, it was a first commandment issue; who did they really trust? And if that was not bad enough, the nation as a whole had done the same thing. Yes, there was a faithful remnant. There always is; that’s the promise of God. But warning after warning had fallen on increasingly deaf ears. God had told them what the consequences of their lack of trust in Him would be. And that was why Jeremiah saw what was left of a nation, groveling in the dust. Never again would Israel, as a nation, rise to the heights they had once known. David had put the lesson they needed to learn very simply in one of his Psalms: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Is there something here for us in the experience of Judah and Jeremiah? Do we have issues with misplaced trust? There has always been in American history a kind of Messianic hope: the idea that America serves some godly purpose beyond other nations of the world. It’s almost a modern day continuation of the theocracy of Old Testament Israel. This probably stems from the Puritan and Reformed theology of many of the nation’s first citizens, who came to a new land with the belief that it was God’s will that they establish the Kingdom of God on earth. Never mind the fact that Jesus and the New Testament both assert that there is no such earth-bound kingdom. As Jesus told Pontius Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

Have we inherited a misplaced trust in the political and social structures that surround us? Are we waiting for the next big political election to solve our problems? Are we placing our hope in the next decision handed down from the Supreme Court? Is that where we put our trust? And if we know better than to put our trust in these mortal authorities, does that mean that we should just ignore what is going on around us? Of course it doesn’t. We are still our brother’s keeper. We Christians are living in two worlds at once, balancing precariously. Though this world is passing away, it is still our responsibility to do what we can, under God’s Word, to bring a godly influence to the workings of this world.

Instead of mortal princes, we must seek out and put our trust that One who came riding into Jerusalem, the One proclaimed as King, the One whom Jeremiah in our text calls “The Lord our righteousness.” He was King of the Jews, to be sure, but He did not enter His city to establish an earthly kingdom. Jesus was, and is, King of the Jews, but only in the way of the Gospel. As St. Paul tells us in His Epistle to the Romans, true Israel consists of all those, both Jews and Gentiles, who follow and belong to Christ by faith in His work of salvation. Jesus is King of an Israel of faith, not of place or space.

And this, then, is how we must see this One whom Jeremiah presents to us. When Jesus entered Jerusalem that day, it was the fulfillment of all the promises that had been made to David and his kingly descendants. Since all of Judah’s kings had failed, the Lord Himself would step in, not merely as king, but, above all, as Savior. This branch of David, of whom Jeremiah prophesied, would be righteous in every way. He Himself would be righteousness, and so He would rule righteously. He would supply the righteousness before God which we all lack. Here the whole Gospel, the whole message of Scripture, is summed up in a few glorious words: “The Lord our righteousness.” But for that to be true, the Lord Himself must have become one of us, having taken all that we are upon Himself.

These words point us to Advent’s great focus: the miracle of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh. They point to this most comforting truth: through His perfect obedience, suffering, and death, the Messiah has won for us reconciliation with God and the forgiveness of sins. What He is and what He has done—all of that is for us. He has given us righteousness which we could never have gained for ourselves. Here is the door that opens heaven and keeps it open: “the Lord our righteousness.” What He did, He did for us. He has made us His own. This is our sure and certain hope.

Have you misplaced your trust? Is it in men or nations, in political systems or social structures? Are you seeking a Messiah from among men to redeem you from the evil of this world? Wait no longer. He has come, and He is here. Place your trust where it must be placed: in Jesus Christ, “the Lord our righteousness,” who loved you and gave Himself for 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 11/24/22: Day of National Thanksgiving

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“Forget Not All His Benefits”
Psalm 103:1-5

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

We know all too well how prone we are to forget the Lord and His blessings. We forget because we are wrapped up in our own little worlds. We forget because we are tempted to think that it’s to our own credit that we have gotten where we are in life. It is as Moses warned Israel: “Beware, lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.” Then Moses counsels us: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, bless the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.” In other words, don’t be so wrapped up in the things of creation that you forget the Creator. Honor Him as the source of all that is good.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Do not forget material gifts God has granted you. In the Small Catechism, we confess that our Father gives us daily bread—“…everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.” All of these and more are gifts from God.

God has given you all that you are and all that you have. No doubt you have worked hard for what you have. But who gave you the ability to work? Who gave you your ability to think and speak, to see and hear? Who continues to sustain your bodies in such a way that you can enjoy these blessings? It is your Father in heaven. He does all this for you—not because you have earned or deserved it, but simply because He is good and merciful. He is your Father, the God of love who delights in giving you His good gifts.

Again, we confess in the Catechism, “God gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people. But we pray...that God would lead us to realize this and receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.” God doesn’t ask us to pray as a condition for receiving our daily bread, or as a threat that, if we don’t pray, He will take it all away. God asks us to pray for daily bread so that we will be reminded where it comes from and whom to credit and praise for it. But God even sustains and cares for those who don’t recognize Him as the Giver. There are plenty of unbelievers out there who are doing as well as, and many even better than, Christians in the daily bread department. That is because God is unfailingly good. He even provides for the needs of those who reject Him. And He does this so that, in seeing His kindness, perhaps they might come to repent of their sin and believe and be saved.

But then, the question arises: What about those times when it seems that God’s kindness has been taken away? What about when the job situation doesn’t look so good? What about when the vision and hearing fail and health deteriorates? What about when people turn against us? Do we still have reason to give thanks to God? Can we still say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits?” And the answer to that question is, undeniably, yes!

To be sure, in this fallen world we are bound to experience troubles of various kinds. Temporal blessings are just that: temporary. Sin ruins everything in the end. The fact that God restrains the effects of evil as much as He does in this world and protects us and allows us to enjoy anything is a sign of His mercy. But the greatest and truest sign of God’s kindness toward us, the greatest benefit for which we give thanks to the Lord, is that He has granted us every eternal blessing in His Son, Jesus Christ. Sin may eventually ruin everything in this world, but our Lord conquered sin in His death on the cross; through His resurrection He has made all things new. Jesus has redeemed this fallen creation from the curse by bearing that curse in His own body. He broke the curse on Good Friday, and set us free to live in a never-ending Easter of life and immortality.

And so, in Jesus we have not only daily bread, but the living Bread from heaven, His life giving flesh and blood which He offered up for the world. In Him we have not only earthly clothing, but the robe of his righteousness which we were given to wear at the baptismal font. In Him we have not only a temporary house to live in, but an eternal home which He is preparing for us even now.

That is how St. Paul, when held in prison in Rome for preaching the Gospel, still could say: “I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Even when Paul was beaten and deprived of everything but the clothes on his back, he still had Christ. And the truth is that, if we have Christ, we have everything. For all things belong to the risen Christ, and through Christ, the Father will graciously give us all things.

Is there no peace in this world? In Christ you have the peace that passes all understanding, the peace that guards your hearts and minds, the peace that comes from the full and free forgiveness of all your sins. Does financial difficulty threaten you? In Christ you are rich with heavenly treasures that will never pass away. Are there those who harass you or make you fearful? In Christ you have deliverance from all enemies by His crushing of Satan’s head at Calvary. Is your health failing? In Christ you have perfect health in the resurrection of the body. Has death separated you from a loved one? In Christ you have the promise of a joyous reunion with those you love who have departed in the faith. If you have Jesus, you have it all—by faith now, and by sight when he comes again.

The Samaritan leper understood this. Like him, let us bow down before Jesus in faith, thanking Him for daily bread, for family and friends, for this good land, but above all, for the holy cross, for His saving Gospel and life-giving Sacraments, and for the real and everlasting life we have in Him. Truly, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” 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 11/20/22: Last Sunday of the Church Year

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Repent and Pray

I Thessalonians 5:1-11

 

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

 

 

At some time in the past, this last Sunday in the Church Year was observed among some Lutheran churches as Repentance and Prayer Sunday. This is certainly a fitting approach to this last Sunday. Today our thoughts turn to last things: the Last Day; the return of Jesus, the Bridegroom, to gather His Church; and our need to be prepared for that return, as reflected in today’s Gospel. In his 95 Theses, Luther began with this assertion: “The entire life of the Christian should be one of repentance.” Every day is a day of repentance. But if we are honest, we will admit that our human frailty makes us prone to spiritual “drowsiness.” It is a good and salutary thing that we be given a bit of a jolt to awaken us to our daily need for repentance and prayer.

We need to repent and pray because either death or Judgment Day will eventually overtake us. God’s unerring Word tells us that; that is as sure and certain as anything can be. These Thessalonians believed that the Day of the Lord’s return would come in their lifetime. St. Paul had taught them about the signs that would precede our Lord’s return in judgment. But for some reason, they had gotten the impression that those who were still alive when that Day came would have some advantage over those who had died. The Day of Judgment was an unceasing topic of conversation with them, and uppermost in their minds was the “when.”

There is certainly nothing unique about the concerns of these Thessalonians. Luther himself was convinced that his generation would be the last to know life on this earth. Many were the times when he opined that the earth was so evil that the Lord could not let such things go on much longer. 500 years later, many of us have thought and said the same things. And we have good reason for thinking and saying such things. This is an evil world that seems to be in a hurry to go to hell.

Like those Thessalonians, we are as sure of the coming of the Lord as is a woman with child that she will give birth. And that comparison is an apt one, as any woman who has given birth to a child can testify. She knows the struggle that goes on inside her body as the end of her time draws near. She feels for herself the kicking and pushing that precedes the emergence of the child. But she cannot say with precision when that will occur. In the same way, we do not know when Jesus will return. Yes, we know that He will come! But perhaps we are unmindful of what the return of Jesus must mean to us. We, too, often need an awakening jolt. We need to be reminded often that, without repentance, without sorrow for sin and the desire to be rid of it, there can be no real preparation.

We need to repent and pray because we know that Day will come, as Paul says, “...like a thief in the night.” It will occur when we least expect it. We may or may not have some warning that our death is near. But there will be no warning about the return of the Lord beyond what has already been given to us in the Word. And yet, that doesn’t mean we should be afraid of our own shadows. Instead, we should faithfully go about our callings in life with all the hope and confidence that belong to the faithful of Christ.

In other words, we can be prepared. For the baptized child of God, repentance is a daily thing. We daily acknowledge our sin and seek the forgiveness of God. We pray that our faith would be strengthened against the temptations that would lead us away from our Lord as the End of days draws near. And in this there is a real and godly confidence that comes as we live daily in sight of our own end or the Lord’s return, whichever comes first for us.

And we need to repent and pray because we are set apart for salvation through the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul raises this issue here because he wants us to grieve over the death of Jesus rather than over the thought of our own. His was the real death, suffered under all the wrath of God; our death is merely sleep because He died to save us. The slumber of our bodies in the grave is only preparation for their reuniting with our souls on that Day when our Lord returns to judge the living and the dead. This sure and certain salvation is what repentance and faith cling to.

On this last Sunday in the Church Year, let us repent of our sin and pray for the strength of God to uphold us in the times that are ahead, however many or few those days may be, however full of struggle and affliction they may be. For we know with certainty, as St. Paul says here: “God has not destined us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with Him.” And so we pray with the whole Church on earth and with the whole host of heaven: “Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!” 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 11/13/22: Twenty-Second Sunday After Trinity

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No sermon video this week. Sorry.

What God Does to You
Micah 6:6-8

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

It is man’s natural inclination to want to do something to earn God’s favor. By nature, man knows that there’s a problem; by nature, man knows that he’s a sinner. So by nature, man also knows to try and fix the problem; to mend the fracture and make things all better. “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” Israel certainly knows better. God Himself has made the answers to these questions abundantly clear, again and again and again. This is just stubborn, obstinate foolishness and stupidity on full display. It’s enough to make God very frustrated and angry!

In the verses before our text, God Himself speaks to Israel, and He’s not happy. Micah gives us the image of a courtroom; God, the prosecuting attorney, questions the criminal defendant Israel. “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, O you mountains, the Lord’s complaint, and you strong foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a complaint against His people, and He will contend with Israel. O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.” God then lays out examples from their past where He has delivered them, not because they deserved it or earned it, but because they were poor and miserable. “Exhibit A: ‘I brought you up from the land of Egypt; I redeemed you from the house of bondage.’ Exhibit B: ‘I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam…’ as my voice; I have never forsaken you. Exhibit C: ‘Remember Balak king of Moab.’ Remember how I turned his wicked plans into your blessings. The evidence is clear. Why do you keep doing what you’re doing? Do you not hear Me? Do you not care?”

This is when Israel looks up from their phones and asks Micah, “Man…God sounds angry. What do we need to do to get back in His good graces?” You can almost hear Micah’s eyeroll. “God has already told you. ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?’ What does the Lord require of you but to simply live faithfully; to be just and right; to rebuke sin and praise righteousness? What does the Lord require of you but to love as you’ve already been loved by Him?”

They just didn’t get it. And as we look throughout Scripture, this was a recurring problem. “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What must we do to be saved?” What do we need to do to make things right? Ever since the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden, man has been trying to figure out the answer.

Do not look down your noses, because we’re not immune to this foolishness. We think foolish things about God, too. “What can I do to get a little good karma headed in my direction?” “What can I do to get back on God’s good side?” “If I put more in the offering plate, do you think that would win God over? Do you think He’d answer my prayer then?” “How can I know God’s purpose for my life?” “What do I have to do in order to be a good Christian?” “What do I need to do in order to get a little peace and joy in my life?” “Am I going to heaven?” “Why is this happening to me?” “Don’t you care, God? Don’t you see?”

The answer to such foolish questions is simple, and I know you already know it. After all, I’m speaking to a bunch of Christians. You may not like the answer, precisely because it’s so simple, but this is the answer. Look here! Look to the cross of Jesus Christ! “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Behold! “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son…” In Him and because of Him, it is finished! You are saved by His grace, His mercy, His unconditional, cruciform love. Here is all of God’s wrath against sin; here is God’s unconditional love for you. Here is God’s love for all the world. Go and share and proclaim this life-giving Word to anyone who has ears; to anyone who is a sinner who Christ loved enough to die for! Go and tell all that Christ has done for you!

It’s that simple! And praise God that it is! May He grant us the wisdom and humility of faith to simply believe Him, hold fast to Him, and proclaim His Truth in all our daily thoughts, words, and deeds. 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.