Sermon for 8/20/23: Eleventh Sunday After Trinity

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In Need of Mercy
Luke 18:9-14

 

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

For two thousand years, these two men have stood in the Temple of God. The one thought he was righteous, and the other knew he was not. The one looked at himself and thought, “What a great man I am.” The other looked to God and pleaded for mercy. These are the two ways: the way of death, and the way of life. So where are you? Are you the Pharisee or the tax collector? When you pray, is it really about you? Or is it about God? What does it mean, really, to be a Christian? Where do you think you stand before God? Are you proud of all your spiritual gifts? Or do you kneel and receive Christ’s righteousness? Do you think you are basically a good person? Or do you examine yourself in light of the Commandments and find yourself lacking any righteousness?

As we look at the Pharisee, there is one word that pops up over and over in our text: I. Hear again his words: “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” It’s all about him. He’s not like all of the sinners. He fasts as a sign of piety; he gives lots of money to the church. If this prayer sounds familiar, it’s possible that you’ve heard me say it. It’s also possible that you’ve heard yourself say it. In our basic selfishness, that is what matters to us. Everything in the church must be about me. Everything at home must be about me. I am the center of my universe.

It’s easy to spot that as wrong, but is that so different from so much of the self-help and self-empowerment stuff we hear about today? The power is within you. Use the Force. Trust your feelings. Follow your heart. Find your inner light. Live the purpose-driven life. Live your best life now. Whatever the fad or gimmick, it always comes down to convincing you that you have the power to change your own world.

The Pharisee went to the Temple to brag. He thought that worship was all about proving to God how great he was. We can see this in the story of Cain and Abel. They both offered God sacrifices, but Cain did so out of fear and unbelief. He believed that, because he was the firstborn, He deserved God’s favor. Abel believed that he was justified by faith. We all fall into this trap of bragging to God. The devil wants you to believe that it is your job to prove to God that you are worthy of His love. Satan knows that, sooner or later, you will remember that you aren’t worthy of God’s love on your own, and so you will fall into despair.

God is the one who makes us alive through Holy Baptism. It is His work always, and never ours. This is why the tax collector is the perfect image of the Christian at prayer. He recognizes who he is. The Pharisee publicly shames him, and the tax collector doesn’t deny it. He is a sinner. He is not worthy to enter into God’s house. But this sinful tax collector understands God’s true nature better than the Pharisee ever could. He knows that God’s nature is to show mercy and pity. That is God’s true character. So when the tax collector comes to God’s house to pray, He actually asks God for something. He asks for mercy, because God promises mercy to those who come to Him in repentance. Our God is rich in mercy. In the midst of death, He brings life. In the midst of despair, He brings hope. In the midst of heartache and sorrow, He brings the balm of His healing word to your soul. This is why the sinful tax collector could go into the Temple and plead to God for mercy.

We prayed in our Introit for the day, “God is in His holy habitation. He gives a home to the desolate.” This is God’s house. When you are troubled and full of pain, this is the place where He gives you a home. It is sometimes hard to believe that God actually dwells with His people, but He does. What kind of mercy would Christ be showing by staying far away from our troubles? This is why He comes down as Immanuel, God with us, to dwell among His people. This is why He raises us up with Him through Baptism in the resurrection from the dead. He does this so that we may sit together in the heavenly places with Him, so that we may come to know more and more of God’s riches and mercy.

Like the Pharisee, we can get so stuck on ourselves that it is hard to see the truth. But by His gifts of Law and Gospel, Christ shows you who you are, and He shows you who He is for you. With His gifts of Absolution, Baptism, and His own body and blood, He wipes away the old sinful man in you and makes you new again. Our Father sees you wearing the spotless baptismal robe of Christ’s righteousness, and He declares that you are perfect in His sight. Like the tax collector, you go home justified, made right with God. God’s mercy doesn’t stop when you walk out those doors. His mercy and love endure forever. At home, at work, at school, or at play, God’s merciful presence never ends. Come to this holy place, and receive again and again the words of life and forgiveness given to you by Christ himself. 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.