+ Michael Alan Kornacki +

 “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; 
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” 

My son is dead.

I don’t know if I’ve ever had to produce a harder sentence in my life. One sentence, four words, and yet the ramifications of those words have irrevocably altered my life and that of my family. 

Michael was, in a very real sense, the center of our lives. We all understood that his needs would affect us all, and we all accepted that sacrifice with varied amounts of grace and patience—me least of all. He could be a handful, and sometimes more than one. And yet, nobody loved the way Buggy loved. His all-too-rare smile was beautiful, even more so for its rarity. His cuddles and hugs were a gift from God Himself. He had this deep little laugh that never failed to bring an echo from me. He never said much, his words swallowed by his autism, but he was always able to make us know what he felt and what he needed. He was a beautiful boy, and my life won’t shine as brightly without him. 

Michael is a baptized child of God. It was my privilege and everlasting joy to be the one who dunked the little sinner. There is very little that can give me real comfort right now, but what I do have is promise of Jesus through the Apostle Paul: “…According to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7). Furthermore, as Paul wrote to the Romans (6:3-5), “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection…” Michael was marked with the name of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He was marked with the sign of the cross. I don’t have to worry that Michael has done enough to merit eternal life. Michael’s eternal life doesn’t depend on Michael; it depends on Jesus for Michael; my eternal life depends on Jesus for me; your eternal life depends on Jesus for you. “The promise is for you and your children,” St. Peter writes, and I am clinging to that baptismal promise right now with all the strength I possess…and when that strength inevitably and repeatedly fails, my Lord Jesus is clinging to me with strength that cannot fail.

My son—my sweetest boy, my beautiful Buggy—is dead. My heart is broken, and it won’t ever fully heal in this vale of tears. But I do not grieve as do those who have no hope. I know that Michael has received his holy rest from the Lord. I know that he will be raised on the Last Day, no longer in a body that betrays him, no longer with a voice stilled all too effectively by autism. I know that Michael’s Redeemer—my Redeemer—lives. I know that I am reunited with my son every time we receive the body and blood of Jesus “…with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven…” and I know that we will be eternally reunited when the Lord calls me to my own rest. For now, he rests with his PopPop, PawPaw, and all those we love who have gone before us in the one true Faith. He rests with his Jesus.

Michael was a wonderful gift from God for me, for Faith, for Alexis and Molly, his twin, and for all of us who were blessed to be part of his life and to have him as part of their lives. God is good, even now, and I wouldn’t trade the life we’ve had with Buggy for anything, even knowing what we know now, even grieving as we grieve now. There’s a beautiful hymn by possibly the preeminent hymn writer of all time, Paul Gerhardt, called “Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me.” The third stanza reads as follows:

God gives me my days of gladness,
And I will
Trust Him still
When He send me sadness.
God is good; His love attends me
Day by day,
Come what may,
Guides me and defends me.

I am trusting God right now in the midst of this agonizing anguish. Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! God is good, and in the days ahead, in the midst of my grief, He will sustain me. He will give me joy. He will renew my soul. He will remind me of the joy I had in Michael, a joy I can carry with me for as long as I live.

For now, like King David after the death of his son, I will get up, wash myself, and go into the house of God to worship the One through whom Michael received life and will receive life again. As David confessed, “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭12:23‬). ‬I shall go to Michael in the Lord’s time. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!

Rest in peace, Buggy. I will always love you, and I will see you again soon.

Sermon for 9/25/22: Fifteenth Sunday After Trinity

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Sowing and Reaping
Galatians 5:25-6:10

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

Seed companies carry on extensive research, take great care, and spend a sizeable amount of money, all to produce the best possible seed. And then you pay a handsome price to purchase the right kind of seed, because you know that sowing inferior seed produces an inferior crop. All other things being equal, the quality of the seed determines the quality of the harvest. You know a lot more about this than I do, of course, but this isn’t brain surgery; it just makes sense.

By contrast, how foolish we can be in spiritual things! We imagine that we can sow one thing, but harvest another. We mistakenly imagine that we can live according to the works of the flesh and yet still harvest eternal life. Those who make these works of the flesh their way of life—those who live without repentance, satisfying their Old Adam—they will have no place in the kingdom of God.

If we sow to the flesh, St. Paul says, we shall reap only corruption. In this reading, the apostle is simply furthering the discussion from last Sunday’s Epistle, where he described the battle that goes on in the Christian between flesh and spirit. Either we are guided by the flesh and live only for the gratification of the flesh, or we are guided by the Holy Spirit and live with a desire to be faithful to the Lord and His Word. We are either fleshly-minded or spiritually-minded. A divided service of the Lord is impossible. Jesus Himself warned us of this. We heard it in today’s Gospel. “No one can serve two masters....Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness...” We are either servants of God or servants of sin. Like everything else, this, too, becomes a matter of the First Commandment. Who or what do you worship? Who or what is your God?

The result of all spiritual error is corruption, an inner spiritual decay that leads to eternal spiritual death if it is not dealt with through repentance and forgiveness. It is from the flesh, and from those works of the flesh, that a vain and mistaken opinion of self is born. It is from the flesh and those works of the flesh that all spiritual error and falsehood come. This province of Galatia, where these Christians lived and where Paul had worked, had been overwhelmed by false teachers who were really interested only in themselves and their personal well-being. And those works of the flesh inevitably stifle any and all faithful acts of unselfish love, the real desire to care for one’s neighbor.

But if we sow to the Spirit, Paul says, we shall reap everlasting life, and that is because sowing to the Spirit means relying on the grace and mercy of God for everything and on ourselves for nothing. The Spirit, of course, guides us by means of the Word of God. In that Word He leads us to see our sin, to see that we are desperately and incurably sinful. But through that same Word, the Spirit also leads us to repent of our sin and to see that we become righteous before God only by faith in the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ.

The Spirit, then, through that same Word of God, produces in us the fruit of faith and love. And that love is gently poured out on the brother or sister in Christ who has been burdened and broken by their sin. It is lovingly extended to those brothers and sisters in Christ who are crushed with the burdens of life, whose spirits are weighed down and breaking under the pressures of simply living and dealing with the troubles of living. And, indeed, as Paul says here, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

In these ways, sowing to the Spirit results in life everlasting, though it is not that we save ourselves by faithfully using these spiritual fruits, of course. This, too, is the free gift of God’s grace, in no way earned by what we do. But it is that we use these gifts of God to live life in Christ now, life whose eternal dimensions are already making themselves known to us. And that is one of the great blessings of the Sacrament of the Altar, for here in the receiving of the Savior’s holy body and blood, we are given a foretaste of the heavenly banquet to come, in the presence of Jesus Himself, before the everlasting throne of our heavenly Father.

Living and walking in the Spirit in our daily lives prepares us for eternal life. And so it is that, as we sow, so shall we reap. But what are we sowing? Is it to the flesh or to the Spirit? God grant us His Holy Spirit, that our sowing would indeed reap eternal life. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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

Sermon for 9/18/22: Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity

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Mercy and Faith

Proverbs 4:10-23

                                                  

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

 

The readings in the Trinity season of the Church Year tend to focus on the Christian life. The Gospel speaks of faith and gratitude. The Epistle compares the life lived by the Spirit of God and the life lived for the sake of the flesh. One could assume that the Old Testament reading would address those same conditions, and what results from them, and that is just what it does. The results are likened to two paths: the path of the wicked, and the path of the righteous. These are two distinctly different paths that one might choose to follow, but only if he is a child of God. It is important to understand this point. The proverbs of Solomon are written for the believer. They are not bits of generic wisdom that might apply to anyone. Note the intimate, fatherly way Solomon proceeds: “Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.”

Solomon was not directing these words to his own son specifically; the wise man was playing the kindly father for us all. He calls us “son” just as the New Testament calls all Christians “sons of God.” You see, this term is not gender specific; all believers are counted as sons of God. There are no second-class citizens in the kingdom of God; all are full heirs of all the blessings of life and salvation. We are encouraged to take these words to heart, for God speaks through Solomon to His chosen people. If we will pay attention, we can live a good and godly life.

Solomon says, “Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.” Solomon is not referring here to just any instruction, but to instruction in the true faith, and the godly morality that flows from that faith. This is the kind of instruction our world wants to have nothing to do with. The worldly don’t want to hear that they are wicked or that their conduct is sin. We’ve all heard them tell us, “Don’t you dare impose your beliefs on us.” Since they will not place their trust in Jesus Christ, they don’t want to hear that salvation is in Him alone. And whether they will admit it or not, human nature understands what the alternative to salvation actually is.

This instruction in the faith is your eternal life, and yet it is also useful and effective and beneficial for daily life. That is really the substance of this text. Through Solomon God warns us: “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.” Note that there is no detailing here of what this wicked path involves. We all kind of know what it is, and we are simply told to avoid it. Do not enter the path of the wicked; do not proceed on the way of the evil. Turn away from it and keep moving.

Jesus said: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.” But our text doesn’t tell us to choose the path of righteousness, or to decide for it, or to even walk on it, as though it depended on us. That is because it doesn’t depend on us. Our text describes the path briefly. The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn; it shines brighter and brighter until it is like the fullness of day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they stumble and do not know why. The path of the righteous is bright and clear-sighted, and it only gets better and clearer as you go. But it is a path which we are given, a path that we are placed on, not a path which we may choose. You can only choose to depart from it.

The path of the righteous is the path that Jesus walked. He walked it perfectly because you and I could not. We are far too easily drawn to the path of the wicked. He walked that path alone, and He was hated as He did. And He died, not for walking that path, but because that path is the way of life for us—the narrow way that few find. Jesus, however, found it, and He gives it to us. We cannot choose this path, but we can choose to remain on it once we have been put there; we can flee from the paths of the wicked. And this is the instruction to which you are to cling and never let go. These words of God’s love and grace are life and health for soul and body, both now and into eternity.

Wisdom tells you to turn away from the broad path to destruction, to flee in the opposite direction, to part company with the wicked. God will give you strength to do so. He has already given you the instruction and the faith; that is what His Word and Sacraments have accomplished. And so, when you face the two paths, confidently and joyfully walk the path of Christ, faithfully following after your Savior. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

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

Sermon for 9/11/22: Thirteenth Sunday After Trinity

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The Law and Righteousness

Galatians 3:15-22

 

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

 

 

Paul had brought the Gospel to the Galatians on the first of his three missionary journeys through the Mediterranean area. He had preached grace and peace through Jesus Christ, who had given Himself into death for the sins of the world. This Gospel had created faith in the hearts of many in that place, and they had rejoiced in the grace of God. But sinful human nature being what it is, they had wavered. They had been “bewitched,” according to St. Paul, by those who had come after Paul with the message that righteousness was something to be earned by performing the works of the Law. And now, Paul had some reclaiming work to do.

The Law, at least in written form, was given over 400 years after the promise of a Savior had been given to Abraham, and then confirmed to Isaac and Jacob. And that Law was not to be a substitute for the Gospel promises, nor did it replace those promises. The Law, Paul says here, was “...added because of transgressions.” Its purpose was not to reveal a new and different way of salvation, but to show the need for salvation. To be sure, our conscience, if we will listen to it, will convince us that our conduct is imperfect, marred by endless faults and failings. And as we continue to sin, our conscience becomes more and more dulled and darkened to sin’s dreadful consequences.

From all of this, it is evident that the Law cannot give life, and is not the way to salvation. Rather, the Law locks us up under sin. There is no liberation from sin, no forgiveness of sin, no salvation but through Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the Law, and “...the end of the Law for righteousness to all who believe.” Just previous to our text, St. Paul had said, “For all who rely on works of the Law”— that is, all who want to earn or merit salvation by their own deeds, their own efforts—“are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, and do them.’”

But instead, the apostle proves from the origin of the Gospel in the Old Testament that righteousness before God is the free gift of God’s grace in Christ. It was freely given to Abraham by promise, and the promises of God are as sure and certain and inviolate as a man’s last will and testament. When a man’s will is properly executed, it cannot be set aside nor can changes be made. If that is true of a man’s testament, then God’s testament, His promise of grace in Christ, is even less subject to change or annulment!

And when God gave His promise of grace to Abraham, He set no conditions that Abraham had to meet; He demanded no service that Abraham had to render; He set no time limit after which the validity of the promise would lapse. God’s promise of salvation is not contingent on a number of things, or on a number of persons, but on one only; on the eternal Son of the Father, the seed of Abraham, the promised Messiah, who, in the fullness of time appeared in the person of Jesus Christ, the God Man.

Righteousness, then, is the gift of God, bestowed not on the deserving; not on those who have achieved some merit; not as a reward or as wages for services performed. God bestows the gift freely for Christ’s sake, through grace and mercy that is undeserved. And this gift is for all; no one is excluded. God said to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that in their offspring—which is Christ—all nations and all families of the earth would be blessed. Just as God’s Law has put all people under sin—“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”—even so, the promises of God grant righteousness to all, all “...being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” For this reason, then, the apostle declares: God’s good and gracious will is “...that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” God’s promise is indeed like a will and testament.

Yes, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...” The truth is, all men are the “missing heirs” of God’s promise. They are all the heirs of salvation, though they do not know it. And so, all believers, the whole Church, have the solemn duty and privilege to tell those “missing heirs” that the promise is God is for them, as well, and for their children, and for all who are near and all who are far off. “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” That is the promise of the Lord. And so to them, and to you, and to all is the encouragement of St. Paul: “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to 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 9/4/22: Twelfth Sunday After Trinity

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Humble Servants

II Corinthians 3:4-11

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

 

Pride lurks in every heart. It is the tragic heritage of our first parents. But it troubles especially those who are, or imagine themselves to be, above the average in personality, or talent, or achievement. Christians, even the ministers of the Church, are not immune to this. It takes very little to nurture pride and to bring it out into the open. A little success, a little recognition, a few compliments, some good publicity, an election to office, and a person can begin to strut arrogantly in the presence of God and exalt himself proudly above others.

Such pride is never a virtue or an asset. It is always a liability and, often, the forerunner of disaster. Pride demonstrates that a man really does not know himself and that his attitude toward God and his neighbor is not what it should be. Pride is not only sinful; it is also utterly unrealistic and even foolish. In a Christian, pride is proof of spiritual immaturity. Because of this, Holy Scripture continually warns us against pride and urges Christians to weed it out of their hearts and lives.

St. Paul was certainly an inspiring example of Christian humility. In spite of his great success, he was prepared to say, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God...” Elsewhere in his first Epistle to these Corinthians, he had declared that he was not even fit to be an apostle, and yet that was what he was, with all of its godly power and importance. Paul knew himself to be nothing more than a sinner, and not only because of the original sin that marks all human beings, but also because of his own very open and awful transgressions. The memory of his past sins haunted him, especially his brutal persecution of the Church in its infant days. But even after he had become an apostle, Paul freely acknowledged, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.”

Paul’s humility was the direct result of his faith in Jesus Christ. He said: “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.” Paul’s humility did not come by way of the knowledge and practice of the Law of God. No one knew that Law better than Paul, and no one had been a greater advocate for that Law. But in spite of this, he had developed into a proud and exceedingly self-righteous Pharisee, devoid of any real humility. The truth is, like all who are overwhelmed by pride, he did not really understand the Law, for when he read it, he felt he was keeping it perfectly. But when he was brought to faith in Christ, he understood the Law as God intended it to be understood. He saw himself as he really was. He saw his sin, especially his pride, in the bright light of the Law. And in that way, a godly humility came to St. Paul.

Humility is a Christian virtue. It is a fruit of faith in Jesus Christ. Of course, an unbeliever may possess a certain kind of humility. But genuine humility, the kind that will stand the test of the divine Law, can only be ours though faith in Jesus Christ. And it can be cultivated only by the prayerful and faithful use of the Holy Gospel and Sacraments, something our sinful nature steadfastly wants to reject. Perhaps this is why it is not just difficult, but even painful, for us to cultivate a true and godly humility.

Paul’s humility was deepened by his recognition of the fact that his qualifications, his ability, and his success was from God. He said, “Our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant.” He was always conscious of the fact that God had made him what he was. “By the grace of God, I am what I am,” he said. God had created him; God had redeemed him in Jesus Christ; God had made him a Christian, endowing him with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, calling him to the apostleship, equipping him with the gifts necessary for his high office. Through Jesus Christ, however, he had the confidence that God would make him fully sufficient as each situation arose. And so, Paul would find himself helpless, except for the merciful sufficiency of God.

The world sees helplessness as weakness. It equates it with cowardice and failure. Paul knew better. You and I know better. Helplessness is where God does His best work. Paul told the Romans, “For when we were still without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.” That grace, a gift that meets our helplessness and saves us in Christ, enables us to serve God and our neighbor in humility, but also with confidence.

Paul is an inspiring example of true humility, a humility that is coupled with a confident outlook on faith and life, all because it is in Jesus Christ. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, may we find in Paul an example so that, no matter how impressive our qualifications and accomplishments may be, we may always know them to come from the sufficiency that comes of God and so remain humble servants of Christ. 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.

HYMN: The Word Gives Life and Spirit

This is the second of the two hymn texts I wrote at a conference back in June. I wanted to take a little more time with this one, and I think it’s a better text for the delay. Written for the Easter Vigil project and based on the account of Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37, it emphasizes the power of the Word of the Lord to give life. Feedback is love.

The Word Gives Life and Spirit

for the Easter Vigil

The Valley of Dry Bones—Ezekiel 37:1-14

1. The Word gives life and Spirit

To people dead in sin.

It draws us to the Church doors 

And welcomes us within.

Lord, breathe on Adam’s children,

That we may rise and live.

Send forth Your faithful prophets,

Your holy Word to give.

2. Ezekiel to the valley

Was led by God’s own hand.

Dry bones were all around him,

But none could live or stand.

The Lord said to the prophet,

“Can these bones live, O man?”

“You know, O Lord,” he answered,

“Through Whom all life began.”

3. “Proclaim My Word, O prophet:

‘Dry bones, I am the Lord.

My breath will move within you

By power of My Word.

On you will I lay sinew

Enclosed in flesh and skin,

And when I breathe within you,

Your new life will begin.’”

4. He spoke as God commanded,

And with a mighty sound,

The bones now came together:

A rattle most profound.

The sinew, skin, and muscle 

Comprised a human frame.

Yet breath was not within them;

No life the bones could claim.

5. “Speak once again, O prophet,

And say unto the breath,

‘Oh, come from every corner

And breathe new life from death.’”

The wind received the message

He spoke by God’s command.

The bodies, now an army,

With breath now rose to stand.

6. “These bones, O man, are Israel.

Oh, hear My children cry:

‘In exile we are hopeless;

Our bones are very dry.’

But I, their God, shall call them

To raise them from their graves

And bring my people homeward.

I am the Lord who saves.”

Sermon for 8/28/22: Eleventh Sunday After Trinity

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Blood and Life

Genesis 4:1-15

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

 

The tragic story of Cain and Abel actually began with great hope. Eve had given birth to her first child. And she remembered the promise God had given to her and Adam when the world had fallen into sin and darkness. Even as the Lord was preparing to expel Adam and Eve from the Garden, He gave them the first Gospel promise of a Savior: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” From a woman would come the One who would crush the head of Satan and bring salvation to the world.

When Eve gave birth to Cain, she assumed that he would be the one to fulfill this promise. Most translations of the Bible, including the one we read, have Eve saying something like this: “I have acquired a man with the help of the Lord.” But the Hebrew of the Old Testament says, simply: “I have gotten a man, the Lord.” Rightly, Eve believed the promise of God and looked for its fulfillment. Wrongly, as it turned out, she thought Cain was the Messiah. And this would have made perfect sense to Eve. From the beginning, it was clear that, even in judgment, God was always bringing the message of His grace alongside. When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden, God provided the skins of animals to make clothing to hide their nakedness. By the death of another, by the shedding of blood, they were covered. This pattern continues throughout all of Scripture.

But what was Cain’s reason for killing his brother? We are told that Abel was a “keeper of sheep,” while Cain was a “worker of the ground.” At some point God requested an offering, so each brought something of what he had. Abel brought a first-born animal from his flock, while Cain brought an offering of grain from his fields. God was pleased with Abel’s offering, but had no regard for Cain’s. From all that we are told, one of the reasons for the rejection of Cain’s offering was the attitude of his heart. After all, God does not need our gifts, but He wants us to appreciate what He has done for us.

It’s also important to understand that Abel’s life and death were prophetic. In the end, it was only the death of a living, breathing animal, spilling blood on the ground, that satisfied the Lord’s request. Abel was a shepherd, just like his descendent David. And just as Abel was murdered by a vengeful, jealous man, so was Jesus murdered by those who despised Him. When Abel’s blood was poured out in those ancient days, it became a loud voice crying out condemnation against Cain. The blood was clear and certain proof that Abel had been murdered. So God came to Cain, and asked him: “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” And so, Cain was cursed; the soil would never cooperate with him. He would be forced to roam the earth, exiled from his homeland.

And yet, even in the midst of this message of judgment, God, as always, brings the promise of grace. Cain was afraid that when others heard about Abel’s murder, they would seek him to kill him. The Lord said to him: “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Scripture tells us that God put a special mark on Cain to protect him, lest any who found him should attack him. It was a mark of grace. We saw a similar kind of mark being placed on the door posts of the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt at the Passover. The angel of death was sent to kill every first born male in Egypt. But God told that angel to pass over any house that bore the blood, the mark of salvation.

The sevenfold wrath of God, which could have immediately turned Cain into a smoldering cinder, was reserved to be poured out fully on Christ Himself at Calvary. This would be the belated fulfillment of that original promise given to Adam and Eve. Here Satan would bruise the heel of the Son of Man, but the Son would crush the head of the old evil foe. Perhaps you remember that when Jesus died, a soldier stabbed Him in the side, and a pool of blood poured out on the ground. The blood was clear and certain proof that Jesus had been murdered. And that blood, like the blood of Abel, cried out from the ground, but with a different message. The cry was not “Guilty!” but “Innocent!” It proclaimed that, just as God was satisfied by the bloody sacrifice brought by Abel, He also had regard for the offering of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And now this blood and righteousness of Jesus covers us like the mark of Cain, telling the angel of eternal death and condemnation to pass over us when it sees the blood of the Lamb. But this is the way God has always worked. By the death of another, by the shedding of blood, Adam and Eve had been covered from their shameful nakedness. By the death of Christ and the shedding of His blood, we have been marked in Holy Baptism, and we are clothed with righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, now and forevermore. 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.

HYMN: The Lord Our God Is Faithful

Back in June, while at a conference about Paul Gerhardt, Martin Luther, and JS Bach, I wrote early drafts for two hymns for the Easter Vigil project I’ve been working on. While all the hymns I post (and, indeed, even the hymns I published in my book, Rejoice, O Zion, Sing!) are works in progress, these two felt like they needed work before I shared them here. 

This first one is based on Deuteronomy 31, which discusses God’s faithfulness to Israel while Israel becomes increasingly faithless. Though it is not part of the text included in the Vigil, I also included some of Deuteronomy 32’s Song of Moses, because it seemed like something was missing from the hymn without it. Anyway, feedback is love.

The Lord Our God Is Faithful

for the Easter Vigil

God’s Faithfulness to Israel—Deuteronomy 31:19-29 (and 32:1-43)

1. The Lord our God is faithful.

His Word is sure and true;

It always will accomplish

What He sets out to do.

His people, as He promised,

At last to Canaan came,

The land of milk and honey.

All glory to His name!

2. The Lord said unto Moses

As Moses neared his end:

“My people will forget Me

On whom they did depend.

So write a song as witness 

Of all I gave by grace.

When false gods then consume them,

Their shame they must embrace.”

3. Said Moses, “Earth and heaven,

Oh, hear God’s holy name.

His work is just and perfect.

His ways are free from blame.

O crooked generation,

Why are you so unwise?

For this is God your Father

Who hears your faithless cries.

4. “Oh, listen as your fathers

Recall from days of old

How God made you His people

And heirs of grace untold.

Behold His servant Jacob,

The apple of His eye.

God gave him wine and cattle

And lifted him on high.

5. “The Lord will judge His people,

And though they turned away,

He shows His great compassion.

His love He will display.

Rejoice! Rejoice, O nations!

Rejoice, my people! Sing!

For God provides atonement.

Salvation He shall bring.”

6. To Joshua the faithful

The Lord God gave command.

“Be strong and of good courage, 

For into this new land

You, child, shall lead my people:

This land so rich and fair,

And know I will be with you

To see you safely there.”

7. Then Moses told the Levites,

“Receive this book of Law

And by the Ark now place it,

That you may see your flaw.

I know your sad rebellion.

I know that, when I die,

Your evil will befall you;

God’s Law you will deny.”

8. O faithful God, we praise You.

Your sacred song we sing.

You blot out our transgression.

From You all graces spring.

Oh, lead us to that country

With milk and honey blest.

Christ’s holy blood and body:

Our endless Paschal Feast.

HYMN: Your Ancient People Heard Your Word

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a text, but I’ve actually written three in that time. The first two are still works in progress for the Easter Vigil project, but this third one was inspired by the Divine Service I attended while visiting Mom in New York. Thanks to Pastor Ben Eder of Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Kenmore, New York, for bringing the Word that day.

This is a simple text based on Hebrews 11:1-16, the Epistle for Proper 14 in Year C of the Lutheran Service Book 3-Year Lectionary. I didn’t think the text needed much in the way of embellishment. Feedback is appreciated.

Your Ancient People Heard Your Word

1. Your ancient people heard Your Word:

Your vow to love and bless.

By grace their faith in You was stirred;

You called it righteousness.

2. Like saints of old, Your Word I hear

By which all things were made.

Your Word is certain, true, and clear,

Your faithfulness displayed.

3. A better, heav’nly country waits,

A place by You prepared.

Your people seek this homeland’s gates

Where sinful saints are spared.

4. I live by faith, not yet by sight;

Lord, help my unbelief!

I seek what You call good and right

For hope in joy and grief.

5. And by Your Word I see by faith

My Savior’s cross and grave.

No longer need I fear my death,

For Jesus died to save.

© 2022 Alan Kornacki, Jr.

CM (86 86)

THE SAINTS’ DELIGHT (LSB 569)

Hebrews 11:1-16 (Proper 14C); Trust

Sermon for 8/21/22: Tenth Sunday After Trinity

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio

CLICK HERE for the sermon video.

Deeds and Faith

Romans 9:30-10:4

 

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

 

 

Israel had everything. They possessed the promise to Abraham of a great and faithful nation. They had been given the Law, written by the very finger of God and given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Above all, they had the promise that, from among them, the Seed of the woman, the world’s one and only Savior, would arise. In His unfathomable grace, God had given all of this to them.

What happened? Had God’s Word failed? Of course not! No, there was a deeper mystery at work here, a mystery that remains veiled to this day to most of those who are of Israel according to the flesh. It was the mystery that was revealed finally and fully in Jesus Christ. But it was not just that most of the Jews rejected Jesus when He appeared. That was certainly true, as John so cogently reminds us in His Gospel: “He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him.” But it was not as simple as that. Israel stumbled over something else. Their great prophet, Isaiah, had warned them: “And He will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

So what happened? The Gospel, with its promise of a righteousness bestowed by God on believers, came to the Jews first. That had been the proclamation of the prophets, the message of the God who desired mercy more than sacrifice, the God who endlessly called out to His people to return to Him, to be reconciled to Him, to receive His promise of life and salvation. And now, with the coming of Jesus, it would go also to the Gentiles. But while it had gone to the Jews first, it was the Gentiles who now received it with great joy. They responded gratefully to the message that assured them of their acceptance by God through faith in Jesus Christ. And faith, just as it had been promised to Abraham, was now accounted to them for righteousness. But the Jews decided to pursue a different path to righteousness. They sought acceptance by God on the basis of their keeping of the Law—a goal they could never attain. They did not know God’s way of righteousness, but sought to establish their own. Yet, as Paul himself had found that “...Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes,” so might his fellow sons of Israel when they, too, learned the way of faith in Christ.

So why does this matter to us? Why all of this history about Israel and their failure to see the true righteousness of God in Jesus Christ? It is because a righteousness based on a keeping of the Law is a natural thing also to us. That is just how our minds actually think. That is just how our souls, darkened by sin, naturally believe that God is satisfied. Our history might be more like Israel’s than we would care to think. When religious zeal is not enlightened by the truth, it inevitably centers on self! And when zeal is blinded by self, it has no eyes for the righteousness that comes from God. How can it? We think our own thoughts and theories about how our good deeds can compensate for any ill we have done. We who would judge the sins of others will want our own disobedience overlooked. To submit to the righteousness that comes from God would mean having to give up our own righteousness, pleading our guilt before God, and acknowledging that we really are lost. And that is something we are not inclined to do.

But God has brought His salvation, and the righteousness it brings, near to us in Jesus Christ. We don’t have to climb up any heavenly steps to attain it. He comes down to save us with it. That’s what Jesus meant when He wept over Jerusalem and said that they did not know the time of their visitation, the time of His coming near to them in His saving grace. He had come down to save them. He has come down to save us! We need not plumb the depths of our souls or our conscience to find it, for He has risen from the dead to make it secure for us. It is here, now. It is present. It is available. And we receive it by faith alone—which is, itself, a gift of God. It is by the powerful working of the Holy Spirit in the Word of God that we believe that God raised His Son from death; it is by the Spirit that we acknowledge Christ as Savior and Lord.

This is the way of righteousness that saves, and it is open to all, without distinction. There is not one way of righteousness for the Jews, and another for the Gentiles. All who call upon the Lord in faith will receive it. To Jew and Gentile alike; to open and despicable sinners as well as sinners who are just as despicable, though their sins may be hidden—to each and to all, the gates of God’s mercy stand wide open. The full and free and forever forgiveness of God is assured, in Jesus Christ, to all who will believe it and, by faith, claim it as their own.

Jesus said as He looked over Jerusalem, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” Faith, and only faith, opens our eyes to that peace of God which is found through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other way! May God in His mercy keep our eyes open to that way unto life everlasting. 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.