GUEST POST: Sermon for 7/10/16: Seventh Sunday After Trinity

RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.

Since I'm at the Synod convention, Pastor Timothy Landskroener from Chester graciously filled the pulpits at St. Peter in Campbell Hill and Bethel in Du Quoin, Illinois. With his permission, here is his sermon. Thank you, Pastor Landskroener.

Christ's Compassion

Mark 8:1-9

        In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them,  2 "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.  3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away." (Mark 8:1-3 ESV)

In the name of Jesus, the only Savior of the world...

    In these grey and later days, what we need most our dear Lord Jesus gives in great abundance for He is patient with us beyond imagination. He desires that we give up all trust in ourselves and our abilities and works, and that we learn evermore to trust in Him - most certainly for forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation, and also for everything we need to support *this* body and life.

    In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [that is, earthly necessities like food, drink and clothing] shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33). In today’s Gospel we see that play out. A large crowd had followed Jesus away from the cities and villages and out into the wilderness, the deserted place, a place of scarcity, danger and death. They had evidently given no thought as to how long they would be there and had not brought adequate provisions. And we have no record of Jesus telling them to come prepared for a lengthy stay.

    So, why would those people give up the comforts of home to follow Jesus out into the wilderness? Quite simply, because they wanted to hear what He had to say. The One who feeds the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, had purposely drawn them out and opened the glories of heaven and the wonders of God’s love to them like they had never heard before, or even imagined. And His gracious words caused them to forget all other things.

    So now was the third day of their listening to Him preach. Imagine that! Listening to a sermon for three days. Who would do that? Those people did, because they wanted to hear the gracious words which flowed from Jesus’ lips. They had left all, and now they were hungry, though it’s important to notice that they don’t say anything. They were intent on listening to Jesus and hearing everything He had to say. They kept their eyes on Him. After all, “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deut. 8:3). His Word was their life.

    So, they don’t say anything about their hunger, but Jesus does. “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” Yes, Jesus has compassion on them. He knows what they need even before they ask, and He’s ready to provide. You see, His compassion is a real concern for the ongoing reality and eternal fate of mankind. His compassion brought these people out and put them into such dire straits. He has them right where He wants them. For the reality is that they would be just as helpless if they were home snuggly tucked away in their beds with full bellies and full cupboards - but they might well not know it. They might think they were in control. But there in the desert with growling bellies and too far to return, they’re helpless. The hunger that gnaws at the 4,000 is the mark of death, the wages of sin. They must eat or they will die. There is no place for them to turn. They cannot provide for themselves. They are helpless.

    And what was the result of their helplessness? Jesus provides all that they need. He fed them with the Bread of Life, and now He would provide earthly bread as well. As on the earlier occasion when He miraculously fed 5,000 people, He consults with His disciples. He declares His compassion and concern for the crowd. But the disciples seemed to have forgotten that other event. They ask, “How can one feed [or satisfy] these people with bread here in this desolate place?” Once again, they looked at the situation with the eyes of reason and concluded that it was impossible to provide food for all these people.

    Once again, Jesus demonstrates His great love and compassion for the people and for His disciples. He has the people sit down. Then He takes the seven loaves from the disciples, gave thanks, broke them, gave them to the disciples “to set before the people.” Then He did the same with the fish. Again, the people ate and were satisfied. They had no more hunger. Their needs were fully met. Furthermore, the disciples gathered seven large baskets of leftovers. Jesus didn’t simply meet the need, He provided an abundance. With Jesus, there is always more.

    Now, most certainly, this Gospel is for us as well. Jesus would have us follow Him and listen to Him. He would have us leave everything to hunger and thirst for righteousness. For we too need to see our helplessness, even as we feel the hunger pangs of sin and death. We need to realize the fullness and the depth of our sin. We too must give up control, and learn that we have nothing to give, and that there is nothing we can do to change our sorry state. We too must learn to hang on Jesus’ every Word so that we may live.

    Indeed, this is what we learn from the crowd – to live from Jesus’ compassion. And this, not because we have earned it or deserve it, but only because Jesus Himself declares, "I have compassion." Only in the gifts Christ freely gives can we be filled and have genuine satisfaction. Everything else we seek and lust for in this world leaves us cold, empty, full of regret. Our efforts in this world end in futility. This is what lies behind the disciples' words of unbelief: "How can one satisfy these people?"

    Yet, in Jesus’ great compassion, He doesn’t scold them for their unbelief. He uses them to serve the crowd. From their hands Jesus feeds the crowd with bread and fish.

    Now, of course, this miracle points toward a greater miracle, where our Lord again takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it to His disciples, the Holy Apostles, those first ministers of the Gospel. Still today they give out the Gifts to you, that multitude that has come to the realization that the things of the world cannot, by themselves, satisfy.

    Yes, Jesus does have compassion on you. For you, the very Son of God was made Man. He had compassion on you and for you suffered rebuke, humiliation, and hatred. He had compassion on you and endured the lash, the spear, the thorny crown. He had compassion on you and suffered the bitter agonies of death and the Father's wrath. He had compassion on you and allowed His side to be opened by the thrust of the spear. He had compassion on you and brought your flesh out of the grave triumphantly. He had compassion on you and entered into the heavenly places with your flesh, my flesh, human flesh. Know then that your Lord still has compassion on you, forgives your selfish pride, forgets what you have done and been, and invites you yet again to simply receive His gifts, all by grace. So let these words of your Lord sink down deep into your ears: "I have compassion on the crowd." To Him be the glory now and forever.    Amen.

The peace of God, which passing all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Sermon for 7/3/16: Sixth Sunday After Trinity

 
RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.

A Spirit of Righteousness

Matthew 5:17-26

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

Righteous scribes and Pharisees studied and immersed themselves in and lived according to the letter of the Law. That’s not evil in and of itself, for it shows great respect for our Lord and His Word. It shows a desire to live not as you prefer, but as the Lord requires. That’s the righteousness of the scribe and Pharisees—and we wish we could attain even that! But today our Lord tells you that, by His Spirit, you reach for a greater righteousness: a righteousness that desires not simply to learn the letters and words of God, but also to inquire after the Spirit. This is a righteousness that does what is right not only because God said so, but also because it is the way of Life, because there’s no other way for Christians to live. This is a righteousness that lives not from the fear of missing the goal, but from a Spirit-given love for God and a desire to live like His redeemed children. This righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees because it lives not just by the words of God, but in Christ Jesus, who is the Word of God in the flesh, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

Our holy Lord gives you a glimpse of the Way that He is when He describes some of the commandments. He says, “You have heard that is was said to those of old…” But our Lord is not denigrating or setting aside or negating or abolishing what was said. Instead, Our Lord wishes you to look through the letters to hear the Spirit. And in each instance, the Spirit shows you that the Way of the Lord ought to be your way—not just then, when you reach the goal, but now as you strive and struggle—for the Way of the Lord is not just the way to the kingdom, but also the way our Lord desires to live in you and through you, now and forever.

So what stands in your way? What blocks your path? What gets you off track so that you turn away from Christ and choose your own path? You are turned from the narrow way by love of self; love of getting even; love of having your rights met; love of revenge; love of holding grudges; love of hiding; love of material pleasures; love of being in control; and ultimately, love of what you deem worthy of your love and attention.

Yet by His Spirit, our Lord keeps calling you away from your self-chosen loves, calling you to Himself, the beloved Son of the Father. By His Spirit, our Lord persists in calling you away from your love of holding something over someone, and to the love of growing and maturing in intimate union with Him and with all men. By His Spirit, our Lord determinedly calls you away from your false loves which drive you into the darkness. And by His Spirit, our Lord gives you the courage to embrace Him as your true Love, to live only for Him.

So this is the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees? It is not resisting, but submitting in trust and confidence to the Lord Jesus whose love for you knows no limits, whose love for you transforms and transfigures your whole way of life, whose love for you brings you the superabundant mercy of God, whose love for you allows you to bury your meanness and pettiness, and whose love for you teaches you to fear nothing except the fear of losing Him.

Such love has been poured into you by the Holy Spirit. He has, in a wondrous and miraculous mystery, bound you to our Lord Jesus. And just as wondrously, He has bound you to each other and to all Christians living and departed. By this Holy Spirit you have the Righteous One as your righteousness. And by the Spirit you get to live as one who is loved by God and to live as one who shares the love of God. May that Spirit strengthen, feed, and grow this love of exceeding righteousness within 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 6/26/16: Fifth Sunday After Trinity

Sorry for the delay. Life intervened.


RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.

                                               

Christ in the Boat

Luke 5:1-11

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

There are a good number of boats in Scripture. The disciples found themselves inside a boat on stormy water with Jesus, and He spoke and calmed the storm. Jesus met His disciples in a boat when He came walking to them on the water, and He spoke and calmed their fears. In the Old Testament, God saved the Church—eight souls in all—by closing Noah and his family in an ark, a ship. It is no wonder, then, that the Church is called the Ship of Faith—the Ark of God—into which we sinners are baptized and by which Christ keeps us safe. Jesus is in the boat, and He speaks across the water: Word and water to save sinners. What a lovely image of the Church! It's why this room is called a nave. In Latin, “Navis” means ship. If you sail a ship, you navigate. If you go to war on ships, you're in the Navy. The Church gathers around Jesus, preaching, teaching, serving us His Word, and we are safe inside His Ship.

From a boat, Christ sends His Word across the water to the ears of those who set aside their seeking after earthly things to press Him for the Word of God. When He'd finished, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” The Lord is doing two things here. First, He shows those who pursue His Word that He will take care of them. You have work to do: God-given vocations. Do those to the glory of God and the good of your neighbor. But “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God…” Live in and from the Gospel.

And He is also showing the Church and Her preachers that His Word does what He says it will do. He promised through the Prophet Isaiah: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Simon had fished all night and caught nothing. Now Emmanuel, God in flesh, was telling him to put into the deep. But every fisherman knows that fish are caught in shallow waters at night. Still, the Word made flesh had spoken, and now He was teaching how His Word bears fruit.

Simon did as he was told, and they caught so many fish the nets began to break and the boat began to sink. That is what the Lord is doing in His Church even now. You who fish for a living—you who are engaged in the labors and vocations which the Lord uses to care for people—you are hearing that the Word of God bears fruit. Christ Himself is speaking, calling you forgiven; saying that your lives are things He cares about. He cares enough to impose Himself on exhausted fishermen so you receive His Kingdom and His Righteousness. The Lord has let down the net of His Word and Water and caught you by the Gospel, and He gathers you into His boat. In this place He keeps you safe and makes your whole life holy.

As you go about your daily tasks, you do them in Jesus, at His Word. And the Word of God makes your daily labor fruitful. So, when the Lord imposes Himself on you through His preachers to serve your neighbor; when He bids you try again; when He sends you places you’d rather not go to do work you’d rather not do—do you ask what some preacher knows about real living? My brothers and sisters in Christ, “seek first the kingdom and His righteousness.” Trust His Word. Live in the Gospel. He knows you've been at it all night long. He knows it doesn't seem to bear fruit. He knows you're tired of trying. Find your rest in God's Word, for He will do His work through that Word.

Take comfort in this: Christ has taken into Himself all your sins—all of your frustrations, distractions, dissatisfactions with the life and work God gives you. Though you pursue many things, the Lord has only you in mind. He seeks you and promised you that, at His Word, His kingdom bears much fruit. It bears you up, lifting you out of the deep and bringing you safely in His Ship that does not sink. He  places you into His Church, and there, the One Who died and rose to save you keeps you safe.

That sustains you as you tend whatever nets He gives you. Live from the Gospel in the Liturgy each Sunday. Eat and drink the Body and the Blood of Christ each week. Set aside your labor to be served by Christ and His forgiveness in His Word. “Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness,” and then be certain that He will daily add whatever else you need. 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.

PARODY: LCMS the Beautiful

With the 2016 LCMS Synod Convention coming up next month, I needed to relieve some tension I feel over being a delegate. With all the reading if overtures and resolutions, biographies, and mail from lobbyists, it's really a lot to handle. And complaining about those things takes even more energy. Snark takes effort! Anyway, I vent in rhyme and verse, and I'm pretty sure this one is a doozy destined to go down in infamy! Here's the result: a parody to the tune of "America the Beautiful." Enjoy! Walther did. See that smile! *wink*

LCMS the Beautiful

O beautiful bureaucracy

O'er endless by-laws made 

For district presidents to be

The popes of lesser grade. 

L-C-M-S!

L-C-M-S!

The by-laws reign supreme!

Let's vote to chunk 

That Bible junk

And live the sinner's dream!

O beautiful for heresy

That long goes unaddressed;

For pastors who are cursed to be

Inactives long oppressed. 

L-C-M-S!

L-C-M-S!

Our DP's hands are clean. 

Let's vote to flush 

That doctrine mush

And drop AC 14. 

O beautiful, we tossed the cross

For syncretistic prayer

We prayed when facing tragic loss

To show the world we care. 

L-C-M-S!

L-C-M-S!

Let's show our charity!

Let's go and scrap

That Concord crap

To Satan's lasting glee. 

O beautiful! O God, please send

The Spirit. Make us wise

To keep your Word unto the end

Before our voting eyes. 

L-C-M-S!

L-C-M-S!

Have mercy, Lord, we pray,

And keep us straight 

As we debate

These six exhausting days. 

Sermon for 6/19/16: Fourth Sunday After Trinity

RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.

Trained in Mercy

Luke 6:36-42

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

The world is topsy-turvy. All that our Lord calls good and right in His Word, the world considers evil and judgmental. Everything our Lord calls evil and perverted, the world considers good and right. Abortion is legal. Homosexuality is celebrated. Living together outside of marriage is the norm. It almost seems as if the blind are really in the lead, doesn’t it? It is to the people living in these circumstances that our Lord delivers His message. “Be merciful.” “Judge not.” “Forgive.”

But wait. Aren’t Christians supposed to be concerned with the truth of the Word of God? Yes, of course you are. But your problem is that you think that others are the bad people and you are basically good. Sure, you might sin, but you cannot believe you might be evil. Evil people do evil things; you just mess up from time to time. After all, you are only human! If anyone is evil, it has to be that other person, not you. That sort of thinking is the very thing which is condemned in this text. You aren't better than the next poor sinner. The things you judge and look down on others for doing are the very things you do. How can you point out our neighbor's little splinter sins when you have a giant plank of your own?

Seeing the truth brings the hearts of sinners to anguish. Jesus says, “[The disciple] who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” Yet clearly you are not like your Teacher. Who here today does not sin? Who here has found and removed the plank from his own eye? Who here today is not “as His Master”? Examine your life in the lens of Holy Scripture, where you see how our Lord lives and interacts with the people around Him. Ask yourself, “Have I loved the Lord my God with all my heart? Have I loved my neighbor as myself?” And when you recognize that you have not done so, all that’s left for the sinner is judgment. The plank is lodged in your eye, and you cannot remove it.

But our Lord offers comfort even for those who cannot dislodge their own plank. At the Word of Christ, those who know they are not like their Teacher are forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ. The same Word that spoke all things into existence also speaks your holiness and righteousness. You are made to be like your Teacher. You who know you don’t love your enemies; you who know it’s against your nature to forgive; you who know you have no desire to show mercy—you are loved by the God who your old Adam made into an enemy. You are forgiven by the God who paid the price with His own blood to wash away your sin. You are shown mercy by the God whose very nature is mercy.

Christ is speaking to you this morning, He is inviting, beckoning, calling, urging, desiring, drawing, requesting, nudging, to this very altar. He speaks His life-giving Word to you to forgive all your sins. He feeds you with His body and blood, fulfilling in you all righteousness, again bestowing every baptismal grace and goodness so that you may stand against the fleshly onslaught that says you are not our Lord’s child and disciple.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are good. Don’t come here and pretend as if you have some sort of special claim on God through your own merit. After all, God owes you nothing. But don’t be afraid to come. After all, everything God has for you is a free gift in His Son. Approach His altar with confidence, trusting that Christ is merciful even as His Father is merciful. He shows His mercy and grace to the ungrateful and evil—yes even to you and to me—so that, by His washing with water with the Word, by His Word of forgiveness, by His body and blood, you may be fully trained to be merciful, even as your Lord and Master is merciful. 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 6/15/16: The Funeral of Rosalie McCaw

RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.


 

Content

Philippians 4:11b-12

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Our text is taken from Philippians Chapter 4. We consider these words:

I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Thus far our text.

When death comes to the relief of one whose life was marked by sorrow and suffering, both the godless and the believers can be heard to say, “Her death was a great blessing.” For the godless, this conveys the idea that it was better for her to be dead than to be alive. But even if death were man's utter extinction, as the godless claim to believe, it would be a mockery to welcome something which has taken a loved one from a family. When a Christian says, “Her death was a great blessing,” it means something much different. In your grief, your hearts, which ache at the great loss you have sustained, yearn for a word comfort and contentment. So let me tell you this truth: Truly, Rosalie’s death was a great blessing to her; she is better off now than she was.

Among Christians, these words are flowing with comfort. We have not lost those who died, and those who died have gained great things. They are delivered from all sorrow and suffering. And that perhaps is the least gain. The most precious gain is this: by reason of the faith she was given in Holy Baptism, Rosalie now rests in the arms of her Savior. That is our comfort and our hope this day.

It is a characteristic of people to seek contentment, to desire to be satisfied with their lives. We spend a great deal of time and money and energy seeking contentment. Occasionally and for brief periods of time, we might even achieve a bit of contentment. A couple works hard to raise their children, give them an education, and send them out into the world, all the while saving enough money to retire and travel. But very quickly we realize that contentment gained through money, security, travel and the good life do not prevent sickness or tragedy from entering into our lives. What had been contentment turns quickly into confusion and restlessness. So we ask, “Where can I find contentment? Is there such a thing as being content which applies to this life and beyond?”

Paul wrote to his beloved Christian friends: “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” Here was a man who had been imprisoned for his faith, felt the thirty-nine lashes of the whip on his back on five occasions, was beaten with rods three times, stoned once, shipwrecked three times, threatened by Jews and Gentiles, endangered by rivers and robbers, and was adrift at sea for a night and a day. In addition to that, he lived with the fact that he was personally responsible for the imprisonment and probably the death of the many Christians he had persecuted before his conversion. How in the world could he be content?

Rosalie experienced some tremendous disappointments and tragedies—none more painful than the death of her son. She expended a great amount of energy caring for her husband at the end of his life. And especially in the last month or so, Rosalie experienced great physical pain of her own. Even so, she was content. Where in the world can one find such contentment? Certainly, and especially at times like this, you recognize it is not in money, pleasure, material possessions, family, people, or any other thing in this world. For these all soon vanish. It is not to be found in oneself, for inside ourselves we find a guilty conscience that will not let us rest, a mind that is not always wise, a body that is getting sick and old. Even within this room today, each of us is inching closer to our own death. Who will be next? How long will it be before your mortal remains occupy a container like this? Such thoughts do not make us very content!

Where can we find contentment? It can be found only where both the Apostle Paul and Rosalie found it: in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In perfect grace, God looked upon mankind's hopelessness and eternal destruction, and He intervened. The sinless Son of God was born to suffer like a sinner, and He lived to die on the cross. He died so that we would live, so that all of God's wrath for sinners would be paid with His own blood, so that we would be totally and completely acceptable to the Almighty. If God allowed that to happen to His own Beloved Son on the cross, do you think that He doesn't want to forgive you and call you his own? The Resurrection of Christ gives us the guarantee that death is not the end. Death is where real life begins: life with God forever, where there will be no more pain or suffering, no more mourning, and especially no more death! This what Saint Paul believed, and he is eternally content. This is what Rosalie believed, and she is eternally content. And this Good News can make you content too. It doesn't matter what is in your past. It doesn't matter that you don't know what tomorrow will bring. It doesn't matter whether you are in sick or healthy, rich or poor, old or young, man or woman. Christ died and rose for you so that you would be an heir of heaven.

Rosalie is now fully content. Where she is, there is no more sorrow nor pain nor suffering nor even death, for she is forever with her Lord. And on top of that, she is reunited with Bill and Don and all those she loved who had gone before her in the faith. Knowing that, you and I can say by faith that her death was a great blessing. Knowing that, you and I as believers are able to look forward to a heavenly reunion with Rosalie, with Don, with Bill, and with all those who have departed this life as children of God. And knowing that, you and I, like Rosalie, can be content, both now and forever. 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 6/12/16: Third Sunday After Trinity

RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.

Search and Rescue

Luke 15:1-10

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

The scribes and Pharisees were appalled that Jesus would eat with sinners. And these weren’t just regular sinners; they were notorious sinners, sinners who had betrayed their own people. Imagine drug dealers. Imagine serial killers. Imagine traitors who sold state secrets to ISIS. And there’s Jesus, a respected rabbi, hanging out with them and eating with them. What an outrage! 

 

Jesus could very well have given them reasons they could accept. He could have said that He was calling them to repentance, showing them a better way to live. But He didn't. Instead He told them a parable in which He placed those notorious sinners on equal footing with the Pharisees. They are all His lambs. They are all His coins, all His sons. Even while they're lost, while they're off squandering the inheritance, while they hate Him, mock and ridicule Him, while they scourge and murder Him, they are His lambs, His coins, His sons. He loves them and He wants them back. All of them are precious and valuable to Him. All of them have been reconciled to the Father in His Sacrifice. He died for every single one of them. He loves them all. And now Hell has nothing more to demand, for there is not a single sin that has not already been covered.

 

This can be hard to accept. We would like some justice and maybe even some vengeance. We'd like the other sinners to pay for what they've done. We'd like the world to know their shame and sorrow, how bad and stupid and selfish they really are. We'd like them to feel some of the pain that they've caused. But like King David, who was outraged by Nathan’s parable but ignored his own sin in causing Uriah’s death, we too are guilty of the sins we despise. Let David's repentance be your guide. Let the Psalms teach you the faith and teach you to sing: “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed. You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.” The truth is, if you are no better than David, neither are you any less forgiven. Your hope is no less assured. God doesn’t love you any less.

 

The Lord of Life seeks out for sinners. He loves them. He wants to be with them, to eat and laugh with them, to love them. He did not come to berate them, scold, or educate them. He wants to serve them, encourage and support them. That is what makes the Pharisees and scribes mad. No one would be upset if He came to teach these bad people a lesson. But to simply forgive and love them? That seems too naive and foolish. Our Lord doesn't care what shame it brings: He loves sinners. He searches for them, receives them, and eats with them. He lets them off the hook without cost or effort, without promise or condition. And if you are His friend, you will rejoice with Him over every sinner that He finds, restores, blesses, and prospers. You will rejoice to call them your brother or sister in Christ. 

 

This is the heart and soul of our faith: Jesus receives and eats with sinners. It seems almost too good to be true. But it is not cheap grace. It cost our Father the Life of His Son. But still, despite your sin, Jesus seeks you. He searches for you. He wants you because He loves you. God be praised! Jesus receives and eats with sinners. And if that is the heart and soul of our faith, then surely the most significant place of His eating with sinners is where He gives them His Body and His Blood; where He enters into them and makes them His new Temple, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit; where He forgives sins and unites them to Himself in the foretaste of the banquet to come. What is offered this day is none other than the Lord’s Supper, and He gives it to you. You are found, and all the angels rejoice. 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 6/5/16: Second Sunday After Trinity

RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.

                                               

Ready

Luke 14:15-24

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

When Jesus speaks in parables, He’s explaining how the Kingdom of God comes. And the Kingdom of God comes in Jesus Christ Himself. In Christ, the Kingdom of God is at hand. It is present, here right now, in the One the Father sent to be slaughtered in your place, cut to pieces on a cross and prepared for your salvation. It is clear that the Lord wants everybody in His Kingdom. He wants everyone at the Feast of His Son.

It is also clear that most won’t come. Sinners don’t feel the need for such a Feast. In fact, they find the Feast so worthless that they make excuses not to attend. Those who do come must be compelled, even dragged in the door. People will be saved in spite of themselves, simply because of the desire of the One who prepares the Meal. And what a Meal! As your own favorite meal is prepared by a chef with fancy knives, a state-of-the-art oven, and an open flame—or however it’s prepared—so the Father let His Son be offered up in love, and now He is served to you in Word and Sacraments for your forgiveness. All things are now ready. Nothing is lacking.

But the excuses are as plentiful as they are creative. “I’ve bought some land, and I have to go see it.” “I’ve bought oxen and I have to test them.” “I just got married.” The proud and arrogant think that they can prey upon the generosity and patience of God. My brothers and sisters in Christ, what is it that keeps you from the Feast? What prevents you from crying out for the Supper? What sins entangle you too often and keep you from the Lord’s Table? Now, you might think that this sermon is being preached to the choir. But who hasn't wanted the best of both worlds: the pleasures of the flesh, honor among men, luxuries, freedom, and constant amusement on the one hand, and the joys and peace of heaven on the other? Who here cries out for the Supper as often as possible? Who here is ready to lose job, family, reputation, and wealth for the Kingdom of God? We all promised that in our Confirmation vows. Did we really mean it? Do not think that you can enjoy forbidden fruit now and grasp heaven for cheap when it is more convenient.

Repent. Hear the warning. God says, “None of those who were invited shall taste of my Supper.” He will not be mocked. Now is the hour of salvation. Tomorrow may never come. No one buys a piece of land without seeing it first. No one buys a tractor without first testing it. God is not fooled by lip-service, by going through the motions. He is not appeased by excuses. Stop playing games with your soul, planning to sin now and repent later. Stop thinking that your sins are reasonable and bring no guilt. Stop thinking that you have some special relationship to God where He indulges your sins. Repent. Repent now. There is only one case of death-bed repentance in all of the Scriptures. While no man should despair and think it is too late, neither should any one presume. The invitation is not for tomorrow. It is for today. It is for right now. And it is for you.

All things are ready. Nothing is lacking. It is finished. God has made peace with man. He has given His Son to us. Jesus has given us life by His resurrection. And still He gives. He gives His body and blood for you to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins. He desires that you call upon Him and rest in Him. He wants you here. Whatever you've done, whatever evil things you've dreamed and thought, whatever lies you've told, whatever has held you back from the altar: bring all of it. Confess it. God has paid for all of it in His Son. Receive His holy Absolution and live. The land can wait. The oxen—your new tractor—will be there when you get home. Bring your new spouse with you. Come. All things are ready, and He is waiting for you. “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 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 5/29/16: First Sunday After Trinity

RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save audio file.

Enough

Luke 16:19-31

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

Our Lord’s account of the rich man and Lazarus has much to teach us. It’s a reminder to believers and nonbelievers of what is most important in this life. The rich man liked his stuff. He didn’t like to share. He watched others suffer, like the poor man who begged at the rich man’s gate for mere crumbs from the table. The rich man died and went to hell. And then there was Lazarus. We don’t know much about him, other than that he was poor. He had sores. He begged. He also died, yet he went to heaven and reclined in the bosom of father Abraham.

So do good to your neighbor, or you’ll go to hell. Amen. Good sermon, right? Those who think the Church should only be about social justice would be satisfied if we were to leave it at that. And one could make a good case for social justice out of this text, showing the need to help others less fortunate. You certainly should be good to your neighbors. After all, Jesus teaches you to love your neighbor as yourself. But that’s not the main point of what Jesus has to teach you today. What saved Lazarus, and what condemned the rich man, was trust. Lazarus trusted the Lord to provide for him, even when that meant dogs to lick his sores. The rich man trusted himself and his wealth, so much so that he wouldn’t even sacrifice the crumbs from his table. 

Last week, Jesus said, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” But the Kingdom of God is of the Spirit. So, as Jesus says, “Unless a person is born of Water and the Spirit, He cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” Jesus shows us what that looks like in this morning's Gospel. It isn't pretty or pleasant, is it? Life apart from Jesus isn't comfortable. Oh, it may seem pleasant enough this side of death. It seemed pleasant enough for the rich man. It seems pleasant enough for people caught up in their lives, too busy for the love of God delivered in Christ's Means of Grace, too busy to put personal hustle and bustle aside to care for others. Parents, are you too busy to bring up your children in the Ways of God? Neighbors, are you too busy to share the Word of God with those you encounter in your life? Workers, are you too concerned with your paycheck to sit at the Lord’s feet and receive the gifts He has for you? Are you too concerned with the leisure of your day off to spend one bitter hour with the Lord of life?

Dear Christian, you have enough—not in yourself, but in Christ. Don't fear poverty, or even the sacrifice of that little bit that goes to help another, to support the Gospel in your midst, to carry Christ to the nations. If all you can do is hold on to the little bit you have, as if it's all you have, you are miserable indeed. But in your poverty, learn how much God has for you in Jesus. You are baptized into the Body of Christ, which means you are clothed with something greater than the finest linen. You're clothed with Jesus. You have God’s name now—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—so your name will be remembered for eternity, recorded in the Book of Life! And you are fed His Body and His Blood, by which Christ promises to raise you up in glory. These are your riches in this life, no matter what you suffer. They are your security, so that you can let go of things that will not last. 

God has given you His Son to set you at the gate of heaven. He provides you a pastor, poor dog that he is, to lick your wounds and tell you that your sins are forgiven. He gives you crumbs from His Table, and more than crumbs: the Body and the Blood of Christ who died for you and rose again, and who now begs the Father for your life, forgiveness, and salvation. He is love, and in love He is ever mindful of you, the beggar at His gate. 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 5/22/16: Feast of the Holy Trinity

A blessed Feast of the Holy Trinity to you and yours.


RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.

Good News for You

John 3:1-17

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

Jesus said, “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus couldn’t quite get the idea of being born again. Perhaps he would have been better off if he understood Jesus as saying, “Unless one is born from above.” For it is only from above that you can even begin to understand the Trinity. There is more than enough evidence in the Scripture of the existence of the three Persons of the Godhead. It starts in Genesis with creation: the Father creating the world through His Son, with the Spirit of God hovering over the deep. We see it when Jesus was baptized: our Lord in the Jordan River, the Father's voice from above, the Spirit descending as a dove. And we see it plainly when St. Matthew records our Lord’s imperative to make disciples, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” And it continues throughout Scripture.

No one is born dry. No matter how you emerge from the womb of your mother, you are born wet. And no one enters the Kingdom of heaven dry either. “You must be born of Water and the Spirit,” Jesus says, and that is Holy Baptism. At the Font you were named with the Triune God. He called you His. He gave you the Name which is above every name, the Name of Jesus, which is His alone to give out as He pleases. That's being born from above.

It's easy for those who think that they are something in God's eyes to dry faith off, to pull it away from God's saving work in Holy Baptism, or His saving Gifts at the Table of Christ. People don't need their ears wet with God's promises or their lips wet with Christ's Blood, when they think that they have some standing, some deserved place before God. But when Jesus says, “God so loved the world,” He isn't saying that God was just so head-over-heels in love with sinful man, but that God loved the world in this way. He loved the world in this profound way: that He gave His only-begotten Son, Who died for you and rose again so that you would have eternal life.

You are born into God's Kingdom wet with the Water and Word, and thereby drowned and raised again. St. Paul says, “We were buried with Christ through Baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.” You are washed in Jesus, clothed in Jesus; His life, death and resurrection are poured out and laid upon you. It is His work, not yours. This is His gift to you, just as life and love and your parents' name were all given you freely on the day that you were born from below.

Being “born from above” in Holy Baptism enables you to see the work of this Triune God in your own life. You have a Triune God who lavishes you with the gift of His creation. You have a Triune God who shows you the manner of His love in a once-for-all sacrifice that would make peace between you and the Father. You have a Triune God “who calls you by His Gospel, enlightens you with His gifts, sanctifies and keeps you in the true faith.” And all of this goes back before the world was created!

You'll never get old enough to find an end to learning what that means. Your guilt is atoned for. Your sin is covered. This birth from above takes your sin away. Though you are unworthy and unclean, the God Who made you, also makes you right in God the Son, Who sends His Holy Spirit to comfort you, to give you faith to confess your sins and receive forgiveness and give that forgiveness to your neighbor. See what kind of love the Father has given to you, that you may be called a child of God, baptized into His holy name: 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.

HYMN: O God of All Compassion

I've had a lot on my mind lately, and it has been a source of distraction and has kept me from being very productive outside of the things which are necessary--things like sermons, sermons, and more sermons. I received a bit of a reprieve today, though I wouldn't have asked for the the events which led to the reprieve. But I decided to take a moment for myself today, and this text is the result. It's based on the readings for the Fourth Sunday After Trinity, where Jesus gives us what may be the most misunderstood text in all of Scripture: "Judge not, and you shall not be judged." Anyway, here it is. Feedback is love. And if you don't like it, don't judge me. *wink*

O God of All Compassion

1. O God of all compassion,

Who calls me by my name,

My sin cries out against me;

My foes announce my shame.

In mercy draw me near.

In every trouble, hide me.

To Your own refuge guide me

And free my heart from fear.

2. Your mercy, holy Father,

A sinner cannot earn,

But for the sake of Jesus

You show Your great concern.

As You in grace forgive,

Let my own heart not harden,

But let me offer pardon,

Confess my sin, and live.

3. O Jesus, righteous Savior,

The sinless Judge of all,

You use for greatest blessing

The evil I befall.

Lead me in charity

So, should my neighbor falter,

I lead him to Your altar:
Redeemed, forgiven, free.

4. And come, O Holy Spirit:

Oh, come and make me wise,

That I may find and banish

The plank from my own eyes.

Then, Spirit, dwell within,

That I may ever labor

To love and serve my neighbor

And cover all his sin.

© 2016 Alan Kornacki, Jr.

76 76 67 76

Tune: AUS MEINES HERZENS GRUNDE (LSB 354)

Occasion: Fourth Sunday After Trinity 

Sermon for 5/15/16: The Feast of Pentecost

This morning we were blessed to witness the baptism of Torin River Weakley as we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost! By the way, this is how St. Peter Lutheran Church in Campbell Hill looks on the Feast of Pentecost when we have a Baptism.

RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.

                                  

True Love

John 14:23-31

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

Sunday after Sunday, the faithful throughout the world confess their love for the Lord by sacrificing their time to attend the Divine Service. They also sacrifice some of what they have and some of who they are for the sake of their parish. With that in mind, in the weeks and months ahead, as we consider what the future of this congregation will look like, we also should ponder the question, “What does it mean to love the Lord God?”

Jesus says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.” To love the Lord God means to take Him at His Word, to rely on Him, and to expect every good thing from Him. It also means that you can say, “Whatever I go through, whatever good or ill comes my way, whatever joy or sadness I experience, whatever direction my life takes—our heavenly Father, through His Son, by His Spirit, is beside me and remains with me. No matter what happens—in good times or bad—He blesses me, comforts me, endures with me and helps me.”

But from where does this love for God come? Is it blind allegiance? Do you love the Father only because you’ve been convinced that you should? Is your love merely a hope that things go well and a vague faith in the goodness of God or man? For many, that is all loving God is—just the way they express their faith that things will be okay and get better. Is your love for Jesus a love and trust in the Man who was born of Mary? Or is it loving and trusting the idea of a Savior? When your love for Jesus depends on your own notions of what a Savior should be, your love for Him grows cold, and you do not let His love have its way with you. That Christ you love looks an awful lot like what you see in the mirror.

Today our Lord says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.” With those words, our Lord Jesus urges you to remember that He is not an idea or an invisible childhood friend. Loving Him means holding to His Word and holding Him to His Word. And that gives you courage to live not for ideas or justice, but to live confident that your Jesus comes through, that He never lets you down, and that even in the darkest days your Jesus does the best for you.

Remember what St. John has said: “God is love.” So love is more than a feeling; Love is God Himself. Yet you cannot see God or put your arms around Him. And so, that Love which God is, the Holy Spirit implanted that love in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There, God became man. There, God became someone you could hear, someone you can see with your eyes and touch with your hands. There, from the flesh of Mary, came Love in the flesh. All of this is because of the Holy Spirit. That Love of God born of the Virgin Mary lived the love that He is. “While we were still sinners, He died for us. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” All of this is because of the Holy Spirit. Yet the Spirit doesn’t stop there. After the Love of God is killed and sacrificed and raised from the dead, then the Holy Spirit comes again to unite Jesus to your flesh and blood. When does the Holy Spirit do this? He does it first when you are baptized. In the waters of Holy Baptism, the Spirit buries you deeply within the flesh and blood of Jesus. And so you come alive—truly alive—in Him, even as young Torin was made truly alive this day. And then, when you receive the Holy Sacrament, the Spirit implants Jesus Himself into your flesh in His body and blood. And so now you really live. And no longer do you live to yourself. Now, by the Spirit, in Christ you live and move and have your being.

With the Lord God, who is Love, at home in you, what can anyone do to you? This is the same God who raised Jesus from the dead, the same God who has promised that He will not let His saints see destruction, the same God whose gracious good will is always done and whom death and the devil cannot stop. He is trustworthy, and whoever trusts in God has the love of God abiding 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 5/8/16: Seventh Sunday of Easter

RIGHT-CLICK HERE to save the audio file.

                       

Comfort

John 15:26-16:4

ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Once again this morning, Jesus speaks about the Holy Spirit. This week, Jesus tells you what the Holy Spirit is all about and why He will come and what He will do. Jesus calls the Spirit the "Helper" or "Comforter." That's because the Spirit's job is to give you comfort against sin and death and the power of the devil. Pay close attention to what Jesus is saying here today, because it will keep you from despair when the world seeks to destroy you for being a Christian. These words of Jesus concerning the Spirit's work will preserve you from all false belief and wrong notions about God and the Spirit. These words of Jesus teach you that the Holy Spirit brings you true, eternal comfort by keeping you in Christ against what the devil, the world, and your sinful nature throw at you.

There are many people out there who want to talk about God or worship God or have something to do with God apart from Jesus. That is not the witness of the Holy Spirit. That's not the faithful witness of the Apostles. Every religion under the sun is concocted to try to figure that God out, to understand what He wants and what you have to do to please Him. With that kind of god, you can never be certain that you’ve done enough. But the Holy Spirit doesn't lead you to that god. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and, through the preaching of the Gospel, He bears witness of Jesus who has taken God's wrath upon Himself. The Spirit points you to and delivers Christ in whom you have forgiveness and life, in Whom the Father smiles upon you, in Whom the Father no longer counts your sins against you.

But such a Jesus doesn't flatter you. Such a Gospel and such a Spirit don't teach you that you have the power to save yourself. Such a Gospel teaches you to put all your hope and trust in Christ alone. Such preaching that the Holy Spirit does, such faithful preaching He delivers through faithful pastors, tells you to go looking for Jesus nowhere else than in Word and Water and Body and Blood. The Spirit teaches that you will find Jesus nowhere else. And if there is no Jesus, there is no forgiveness, or salvation or heavenly Father. That's why Jesus tells the disciples that they will suffer for His sake. People will throw them out and kill them and think they are doing God's work! When you've got God all figured out apart from Jesus, that's what you do: you take down those whose only hope and trust is in Jesus. It’s why Christians are killed every day all over the world: religions who deny that Christ is God can't stand the thought that they cannot save themselves. You only have to tour our little Synod to see that faithful pastors are being thrown out of their parishes because they will only teach Jesus and His means of grace. They preach faithfully that there is no looking for God apart from Jesus and the Spirit is not at work apart from His Word. So their congregations or the Synod find some reason to stop supporting them and their families and finally throw them out.

Against such persecution, against such trouble, against such suffering, the Helper comes to Comfort you. And the comfort comes not be taking away the suffering but by bearing witness to Jesus by turning you to what is true: in Baptism you have been washed clean and made fit for eternal life; in Absolution your sins been removed from you; in the Supper Christ died for you that you might live and be free from sin and death. The Spirit and your pastor bear witness of Jesus: they testify from the font, the pulpit, and the altar, that God smiles upon you in Christ and has forgiven all your sins. They tell you that, throughout the suffering of this life, the Lord will guard you and keep you and comfort you until one day you pass through death and away from this world and its evils to the eternal kingdom and paradise the Lord Himself has prepared for you.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you have the witness of the Spirit, the testimony of the Apostles, the Word and the holy Gifts, all of which deliver Jesus to you. And having Jesus, you have far more than the world can ever give. Praise God for such a faithful and comforting Helper as the Holy Spirit, for He gives you only true comfort: the comfort of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your Savior. ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! 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.