Sermon for 6/25/23: Third Sunday After Trinity

 

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No sermon video this week. My apologies.

Truth to Trust

Micah 7:18-20

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

We are living in what has come to be called the post-modern era. One of the principal characteristics of post-modernism is its insistence that all things are relative—that there is nothing that is universally true or false, nothing that is essentially good or evil. It is a pretty dark and desperate picture of our world. But if you examine honestly what is going on in the world around us, I think you can see how this very kind of thinking is operative in much of what is being said and done.

There is no place in such thinking for Christian faith. It’s no wonder that Christians struggle mightily at bringing their influence to this world. And it doesn’t help that we live in that age we were warned of, when the world considers evil what God calls good, when the world calls good what God calls evil. Authorities in the government and even in parts of Christendom condemn those who live according to the Word of God. It’s hard to know who to trust. If there has ever been a time when you might be tempted to say, “I don’t believe in anyone or anything,” it might be now.

But over 2700 years ago, the prophet Micah spoke a word to those who are disenchanted with God, those who doubt His goodness. This is a faithful word that points to the God who can be trusted and whose words are honest, whose Word can be trusted, whose mercy in Jesus Christ is renewed to us with every day.

“Who is a God like you...?” What a crucial question that is, because Micah knew well that there is none like our Lord. He alone had brought their fathers up out of the bondage of Egypt and watched over them like a mother watches over her children. But in Micah’s day, the people stood under judgment before this God. There was no place to hide. Their rebellion was plain for all to see. Like men chasing harlots, they had gone after the gods of their heathen neighbors. The Lord was not mistaken as He assessed their condition. Through His prophet He said to them, “Your rich men are full of violence, and your inhabitants speak lies.”

The Lord searches the hearts of men, and His judgments are honest and accurate. You may completely fool yourself about the times and the people of our age. You may even lie about yourself. But the Lord sees us for what we are. We run after the gods of this age. Our appalling morals, both public and private; our dishonesty in low and high places alike; our fading integrity and slowness to speak the truth—none of this escapes the Lord’s recognition or His judgment. We stand before Him, stripped and uncovered, with no place to hide. Our hands are stained with evil. We need a way of escape. We need someone to believe in.

And God Himself gives that to us. He shows Himself as the God who delights in showing mercy. Micah confesses as much when he says, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance. He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. You cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Here is a God to believe in: the God who delights in mercy.

People in Micah’s time were not especially noted for their readiness to show mercy. It’s still a problem for the faithful today. We can be so slow to pardon the misdeeds of others. We delight in making others pay for their errors. We hold grudges against those in our home, our congregation, and in the places where we work and study. We throw the past into the faces of those who have sinned, never letting them forget what they have done.

How different it is with God. He has a much better way of dealing with us. He delights in mercy. He really is pleased when He can show His kindness to those whose sins have gone over their heads, whose abuse of His commands threatens to swallow them in despair. Showing mercy, passing over our sins, not dishing out the punishment deserved—that’s the way God works. In Jesus Christ, He makes the dawning of each new day of mercy possible for us. Jesus takes on Himself the full load of those who are crushed and dying in their rebellion. He carried our griefs and sorrows all the way to the cross. It was there that every sin that troubles us, every trespass that has made life miserable for others was buried, left in our Lord’s grave, never to rise up to accuse us again. We have a God who delights in this kind of mercy. We have a God we can believe in.

There is a desperate need for words that we can believe and trust. And they are here in this text. When everyone else may be breaking theirs, the Lord keeps His word. You can trust the God of Holy Scripture, whose judgments are faithful and true, whose mercies in Jesus Christ never fail, whose words never change. You can rest your faith on Him. You can sink the roots of your life deeply in Him. On Him you can build your hope for each and every tomorrow He gives 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 6/18/23: Second Sunday After Trinity

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The Feast Is Ready

Luke 14:15-24

 

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

         

The Kingdom of God is not just some far away event in the distant future. The Kingdom is present now. Blessed is he who hears the Word of God and keeps it now. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven now. Blessed is he who eats bread in the Kingdom of God now. The Kingdom of God is already here, and in that Kingdom, God is now present with His grace and mercy.

So Jesus tells this parable about urgency and invitation. Everything is ready…everything, that is, but the invited guests. They have lingering commitments. They have other wants and desires for themselves. The master of the feast is ready, but they are not. And so come the excuses. They don’t come right out and say that they don’t want to come. They just don’t want to come now. Of course, we can clearly see the foolishness of such behavior. We are pleased that the host invites the outcasts of society—the poor, the lame, the maimed, the blind—and still there is room. We are glad because that means there is still room for us.

This is a parable about urgency, about a desperate, current need we have. We might even mock these men in the parable who thought themselves too busy to attend. But what about us? Are we ready for the final summons? Are we eager? I suspect that we’re not quite there yet. You young people, teenagers, and young adults: how do you feel about the Lord possibly returning very soon? You have plans and dreams. You want to grow up and have families and careers. There are things you want to experience. And you are not alone in that desire. Your parents and grandparents would probably feel just as cheated for the same reasons. The truth is, if it were up to us, many of us would prolong the Lord’s return permanently. We have more important things we want to do and more significant goals we want to accomplish. And we don’t want to be disappointed.

Please forgive my bluntness, but you must understand that this is pure nonsense. No believer will be disappointed on that Day of glory. You will not look back grudgingly on this vale of tears. No matter what your plans or dreams are, no matter what you come to possess, no matter who you leave behind for a time, it is far greater joy to leave behind this life of suffering and frustration and disappointment and be joined to the saints in that perfect and eternal heavenly communion!

It is true, of course, that there are those who are near the end of life—those of great age, perhaps those experiencing great sorrow, illness, or suffering. Their frustration is a different one. They wonder why God keeps them here. They are ready to go; they cannot see any further purpose they can serve here. They don’t know why they go on living. Sometimes I have to tell them I don’t know the reason either. But as St. Paul reminded the Romans, for all who love God and are called according to His purposes, all things work for good—all things without exception. He will take them home soon. And God’s time is perfect. But that plaintive cry, that desire for the end, should be in all of us, regardless of age or health or occupation. What do any of us—husband, wife, farmer, laborer, banker, teacher, or pastor—what do any of us add to this world? God does not need us here. This is not even our home. Eternal life is our destination. “Come, Lord Jesus” should be more than a thoughtless table prayer.

And yet, the sad fact is that, sometimes, we have behaved and thought about eternity as though we might actually be bored in heaven, as though we might have nothing to do there that we enjoy doing. And it is certainly true that heaven may not be a utopia of golf courses, or ponds stocked with fish, or limitless perfect hands of bridge or pinochle. The truth is, it is far better than any of that. Heaven is the most interesting, the most delightful, the most wonderful place, beyond our ability to imagine. At the Resurrection, we will be free from sin. We will no longer have to deal with affliction, suffering, or the destructive forces of this world. We will stop hurting ourselves and those we love with shameful, selfish behavior. We will bask in the presence of our loving Father as His children perfected in grace. We will have no regrets. Nothing will be lost. Everything will be gained.

But that joy to come, the glory to be revealed, is already here. For those with eyes of faith, we are already God’s beloved children, forgiven by grace, in whom He eternally abides. Already now, already here, He gathers us around Himself. He feeds us with food that money cannot buy, with bread that will not waste—with crucified flesh and blood that is not dead but forever alive, with a righteousness that forever satisfies.

Everything is ready. It is all finished. All debts are paid, all sins removed. All shame is forgotten in the death He died once for all, in the resurrection that delivers us to our eternal home. There is nothing left but to receive. The Feast is ready. So come; be filled with Him. As the Psalmist invites: “O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” 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 6/11/23: FIrst Sunday After Trinity

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God’s Word, Not Man’s Wish
Genesis 15:1-6

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

Wishing is not the same as having a blessing. Wishes originate within our hearts, and wishing focuses on what we think is the best, the way we think life ought to be. But the way we think things should be and the way God designed things to be can be as far apart as east is from west. Instead of praying with faith, “Thy will be done,” we seek the desires of our sin-blackened hearts. And so, wishing produces disappointments that evolve into growing doubts. But a blessing always benefits you. A blessing always revolves around God’s will for your life.

Abram was not especially filled with joy at the events of his life, particularly as he thought about one empty spot: a son. Abram, whom we know better as Abraham, had been promised by the Lord God that he would be the father of a great nation and that, in Abram, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Yet he was without a son; his heir was Eliezer of Damascus, one of his servants. So he continued to wait, though not especially patiently. After all, waiting can be hard, especially when we think God is withholding a blessing.

But then the Word of the Lord came to Abram. The Lord God knows exactly what fears and questions go on in the minds, hearts, and souls of His people. You are sinning if you think, “I wish God knew what I was going through.” “I wish He was here.” “I wish He knew what suffering and dying were all about.” The Word of God tells us that the Lord knows your fears, your hurts, your pains—and not just from having a distant view of them, but from actually living them Himself. Our Lord Jesus experienced the pain and anguish of body and soul when He suffered and died on the cross in your place.

So the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram.” Though He did not initially refer to Abram’s specific dilemma, the Lord knew exactly what plagued Abram’s days and haunted his nights. God told him, “Fear not. This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Here the Lord God Almighty reminds Abram that His Word shall accomplish His purpose. The promise is certain, even though it seems impossible to man that it could ever take place. From our limited human perspective, consider the creation of the universe in six days; a flood to cover the face of the whole earth; God being born in flesh; Jesus being present in and under bread and wine; God dying to win forgiveness for all people of all times and places; the Resurrection. Apart from faith, man views these historic events as absurd or impossible. They would place limits on God. They would place the wish of man over the Word of God.

But through the Word, Abram believed. Abram believed in the Lord, and the Lord accounted it to him for righteousness. That, dear people, is the promise of God for the salvation of all those who believe: salvation by the grace of God through faith in Christ as the Redeemer. Isaac believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Moses trusted the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Paul believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. So did Timothy. So did Augustine. The truth of this Good News came to a wretched man named Martin Luther. By the grace of God, he believed the Lord God, and it was reckoned to Luther as righteousness. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Abraham, has become a blessing to the nations. God’s promise of a Savior was fulfilled in Christ. God’s promise that Abraham would be the father of many is being fulfilled each time He works faith in the heart of an unbeliever.

The Lord brought Abram outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” God promises that Abram will have more descendants than there are stars in the sky. But Abram is not ordered to wish upon a star. He is not to search for a genie in a lamp. Instead he is to behold the goodness of God, the fount of blessing, where he will receive more blessings than he can count.

We are sons of Abraham—not because of who Abraham was, but because we believe what he believed. We are Lutherans, not because of who Luther was, but because we believe, teach, and confess the same Gospel, the Good News of God in Christ. So I will not say, “I wish you would believe this”—for this would be a man’s expression of desire. Imagine a pastor making a hospital visit with a man with terminal cancer and saying, “I wish you healing of your body.” Whatever ails you, whatever weighs on your heart, I do not wish healing for you. Instead, hear the Good News: “I forgive you all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” These words are not the wish of man; they are the Word of God, and they bring to you the perfect healing of your body and soul, both now and for eternity. 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 guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

Sermon for 6/4/23: Feast of the Holy Trinity

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Sinners in the Presence of God
Isaiah 6:1-7

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

God brought Isaiah into the heavenly Temple, right to the very throne of heaven itself. He stands before the Maker of heaven and earth. No sinner can look directly into the face of God and survive; Isaiah knew it. Even Moses was not allowed to see the face of God. And yet, there stood Isaiah in God’s divine presence.

It is not an easy or comfortable feeling, to realize that you are a sinner in the presence of God. This isn’t some petty official who can be bought off with a bribe or who would be satisfied with a paid fine. God is the righteous Judge; we have no defense before Him. The Judge has just one sentence to pass for sinners: death.

Isaiah was one of God’s chosen people when the Lord brought him into the heavenly Temple. Even so, Isaiah remained a sinner, and he knew it. “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah had nothing to offer God to stay the arm of judgment and wrath. His continued existence in the very Presence of God was due solely and only to the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus.

You have come here this day to the House of God, to this sanctuary which is a place consecrated to the Lord. You have come here to be in the very Presence of the Lord God. But you are no less a sinner, no less unclean than Isaiah. You dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. Think on this: when you added your “amen” to the Invocation, you have left yourself open to His righteous judgment. Here today, in the Presence of God, you made confession of your sin. You have nothing to offer God to stay the hand of condemnation and wrath. You can only plead “guilty.” Your continued existence here and now in the very Presence of God is due solely and only to the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus.

This guilty plea has a strange and unexpected result. After Isaiah confessed his sin, one of the Lord’s angels, one of the messengers, flew to Isaiah, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched Isaiah’s mouth with it and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”

It worked the same way this morning. After you confessed your sin, one of the Lord’s messengers, one of Christ’s under-shepherds, announced to you, “Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Instead of requiring a live coal be touched to you, the Word of God is sufficient to remove the iniquity of your sin. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is enough. Instead of the righteous sentence of death, you are shown mercy and given a full pardon.

Now, with all your sins removed as far as the east is from the west, with all your transgressions forgotten by the God Who knows all things, you are ready to enter into His Presence. Then, for those who are prepared, one of God’s messengers takes the very Body and Blood of Christ. He places it in your mouth and says, “Take and eat; the body of Christ, for you.” “Take and drink; the blood of Christ, shed for you.” It has touched your lips. Just as it happened with the water applied to you with the Word in Holy Baptism, just as it is with the word of Absolution, so it is with the Lord’s Supper: your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.

It’s no coincidence that we find Isaiah in the middle of a worship service. You see, that’s what heaven is all about. Every image we have of heaven in Scripture is of the hosts of heaven gathered around the divine Presence to worship God. Whether it’s Isaiah, the angels as they appear to the shepherds in Luke, or John in Revelation, the hosts of heaven are in the midst of worship, praising God for what He is and what He has done and continues to do for His people. When we sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth,” we are joining in the hosts of heaven in praise of God. When we gather at the altar to receive the body and blood of our Savior, we gather “with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven.” We have gathered here in the name of the Triune God, invoking His holy name, and even as Jesus promised, where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in our very midst! We stand in the presence of God in this place, and by His grace, we live.

Like Isaiah, you also have been chosen by God. He has called you by name, and He has forgiven you by the power of His Name. You need not fear to be in the presence of the righteous God; your sins have been forgiven, and you have been freed to do the work for which God has chosen you. He will continue to grant you peace in His presence from now unto eternity. 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.