Sermon for 3/9/16: Midweek Lent IV (Hymns series)

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Christ, the Life of All the Living

Revelation 7:9-17

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

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” It has always been the prerogative of God to give life, even from the very beginning of the world. The grass, trees, and crops; the sea creatures; the birds of the air; the beasts of the field; or humanity, the crown of creation—none of it would have life, had it not been given to them by God. And Jesus was an integral part of that. Saint John writes, “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life…” Ernst Christoph Homburg, who penned our hymn, rightly calls Him, “Christ, the Life of all the living.” 

But what does that mean for us? The Apostle Paul said that we “were dead in trespasses and sins.” That is, indeed, an appropriate description of humanity in our fallen state. As we heard before, man was not created to die; it was only because of sin, inherited from Adam and committed by us, that we fall ill, suffer infirmities, and ultimately go to sleep. Does that mean that Christ is not our life? Does that mean death is the end for us? It should. That is the judgment of a righteous and jealous God. St. Paul also wrote, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Or as Mary sang in her Magnificat: “He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” The proud and unrepentant sinner gets exactly what he wants, but he also gets exactly what he deserves. Death is the price of giving in to the desires of our flesh. And death comes to us all. 

But our hymn writer also rightly calls Jesus, “Christ, the death of death, our foe.” Death is a formidable adversary. Death is “the sting of sin;” death is “the wages of sin.” And never does death’s power seem more devastating than at the death of a child. I have to tell you: as I was writing this sermon, I received word of the death of Drake Astin, Mike and Shellie’s infant son. The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do as a pastor is bury an infant. And if it was that hard to handle as a pastor, it had to have been that much worse for the child’s family. Not only do we mourn for what was—the reality; we also mourn for what might have been—the potential, the possibility, the fantasy. At the death of a loved one, we ask those questions: “What if we had done this or that?” “How did this happen?” “What if I had prayed harder?” And when all else fails, we inevitably fall back to the toughest question of all: “Why?” Sure, answering that question will not bring back to life our loved ones who sleep the sleep of death, and it will not make the pain or the sense of loss go away. But at least it might not seem so senseless, so terrible, if we could only understand why. Still, there is no easy answer to that question. The disciples asked a similar question of Jesus as those we ask when our loved ones sleep the sleep of death: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” But then Jesus answers, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” And then Jesus went on to restore that man’s eyes. It may not seem to be a satisfactory answer to the disciples, but even in the death of our loved ones, we see the glory of God revealed. Though we mourn for a time, we do not mourn as those who have no hope; even in our grief, we rejoice that our loved one has passed through the valley of the shadow of death, to live forever in the light of Christ, and we rejoice that we will be reunited with them when our time comes.

If Jesus can heal the blind man—and He does—then it should come as no surprise that Jesus should play the vital role in bringing new life to fallen mankind. For Christ is the foe of death, and Jesus is a deadly enemy to have. St. Paul writes, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” When you look at a coffin at a funeral, when that coffin is lowered into the ground, you’re not seeing the finale; the curtain has closed only for the intermission. For the baptized child of God, that’s all death can ever be. Christ has suffered the direst pains of death so that our death is only a sleep. 

Thou hast borne the smiting only

That my wounds might all be whole;

Thou hast suffered, sad and lonely,

Rest to give my weary soul;

Yea, the curse of God enduring,

Blessing unto me securing.

The illnesses, the physical pain, even the mourning we endure at the death of our loved ones is overcome by our Lord’s death. In the same way, our own death, like theirs, is merely “a rest from [our] labors,” the Spirit tells us. 

And the day is coming when that rest will end. As Isaiah writes, “Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” All of this is on account of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we rose from our death in the waters of Holy Baptism, through whom we shall rise on the last day. All who have baptized wear that robe which was made white in the blood of the Lamb; it shall be their funeral garment. And they will rise in that robe. Their pain shall have ended, the tears have been wiped away; nevermore will they weep, nevermore will they suffer, and never again will they die. This is your present reality and your promised future. For all this we will eternally praise our Lord and say:

Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,

Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.

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: O Lord, the Tempest Rages

The Gospel appointed for the Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany is Matthew 8:23-27. which is the account of the storm on the Sea of Galilee with Jesus asleep and the disciples crying out to Him in terror. In reading up on this pericope, I found it profound how those who commented on the text focused on the truth that the Church Militant's natural condition is to be wind-swept, tossed about, even persecuted. In fact, without the tribulation, the Church becomes frail. Or as once was said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." With all that in mind, I present this text for your consideration.

O Lord, the Tempest Rages

1. O Lord, the tempest rages.
Awaken to my plight!
The boat is tossed and wind-swept
And I am filled with fright.

2. The world is filled with chaos.
The worldly quake in fear.
With me alone as pilot
I will not reach the pier.

3. The storm outside me thunders;
Worse yet, the storm within.
My soul and body tremble
In terror of my sin.

4. My faith is weak and feeble;
True faith all fears subdue.
But even in my anguish
I know to cry to You.

5. You, Christ, alone have power
To calm the wind and waves.
Your Word demands compliance;
Creation then behaves.

6. Oh, grant me faith to trust You
Amid the surging blast,
That I may rest securely
Until the storm is past.


76 76
Tune: RAGING TEMPEST (Original tune with harmonization by Robin D. Fish, Jr., pictured below.)
Occasion: Epiphany IV

Sermon for 3/6/16: Lent IV

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The Lord Will Provide

John 6:1-15

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

Jesus asked Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” Maybe Philip should have echoed Abraham: “The Lord will provide.” Or maybe with St. John he could have answered, “Sir, you know.” Or perhaps Phillip should have just reverted to the standard Sunday School answer. When the teacher asks a question, children answer, “Jesus!” Any of those answers would work. After all, Jesus provided what the disciples couldn’t buy, what they couldn’t grow, what they had not earned or deserved, and more than they could contain. Their baskets overflowed. 

Phillip and Andrew failed the test, but it didn’t matter. They failed because they were sinners, focused on themselves, blinded by the desires of their bodies. They could not see or hear or think. But Jesus came to seek and to save sinners. He declared them to be holy, to be His saints, to have His innocence and righteousness. He even made them Apostles. The answer they couldn't provide, the miracle they couldn’t imagine, was provided for them. Like the crowd, they also ate and were full. They were forgiven for their weak faith and made citizens of a Kingdom where man does not live by bread alone. 

Our problem is that we are so infected with sin, so obsessed with the mundane reality and details of our daily lives, that we forget that it is God who provides. We add up our debts: our mortgages, credit cards, student loans, and car payments. We add the cost of the stuff we think we want: automobiles, college educations, a vacation home, a new kitchen, and several large gifts to our favorite charities. We add something for our future, for the leisure of our retirement. And the total is astronomical. It is far greater than 200 day’s wages; that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We pay more than that in interest. What will we do? Where we will obtain it? The stock market is uncertain. The lottery is a lie. 20 years worth of bread wouldn’t be sufficient! Repent. Your mind is on the things of this world, which means your minds are on the wrong things.

“The Lord will provide.” “Sir, you know.” “Jesus!” Those are the answers to life’s troubles and worries. You have no money? Come, buy and eat, as Isaiah writes: “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” As impossible as it was for 5,000 men to sit down on the mountainside and be fed with just two fish and five loaves of bread, so that there were twelve baskets of leftovers, it happened. It was even less possible that one Man should die for the many; that God should love those who hate Him; that He should send His Son to give His life for those who killed Him. But it happened, and that holy Sacrifice still pays the price for our sin. 

Imagine if we caught the leader of ISIS and his top two Lieutenants. Would it be okay if the leader died for all three? If he, the leader, paid their price, could they go free? Of course not. That would be ridiculous. They are all accountable and responsible for their own actions. But how much worse would it be if we took your firstborn child and had that child die for the leader of ISIS and his Lieutenants, and then those people came to dinner at your house and slept in your child’s empty bed? That is similar to what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t sound reasonable to the reason of men. It is mercy and compassion beyond our understanding or ability. The Father has sacrificed His Son. He has purchased us with blood. We are worried about which shoes match which belt, who has the nicest lawn, or which of the unappealing choices for President we will end up electing. Jesus says, “Sit down. I’ll take care of it.” He doesn’t explain or argue. He does not rebuke Phillip. He just tells the disciples to have the people sit down. Then He passes out bread and fish, as much as they want. And when they are filled, the disciples gather up the fragments. Each of the twelve fills his basket with leftovers. The Lord saw the need better than they did, and they could not contain the bounty. 

He does the same for you. He knows better than you what you need. You say, “I can’t pay my bills.” He says, “Take, eat, this is My Body.” You say, “My spouse is angry with me.” He says, “I forgive you all your sins.” He is the Prophet come into the world, the King who rules by grace, who makes His people saints by the power of His Word, who provides for all your needs of body and soul. He knows what you need. He will give you all things. He loves you; He died and rose for you; He is coming back. So rejoice with Jerusalem. Rejoice to be here in the house of the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord who gives you daily bread and the Living Bread which will never run out. 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 3/2/16: Midweek Lent III (Hymns series)

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Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted

Isaiah 53

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

“He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” Isaiah, writing centuries before Jesus was born, foresaw how the world would react to the fulfillment of the promise of the Messiah. We who have the eyewitness testimony of the Apostles know the truth of Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant. He was certainly rejected: cast off by the religious leaders of the day; denied by Peter who denied him when the chips were down; abandoned by the other disciples, who ran away when trouble came to call; shunned by the very people He came to save. And He was certainly wounded: beaten; scourged with a whip; crowned with thorns; nailed hands and feet to a cross.

It had to have been an ominous sight, that cross on the hill of Calvary with our Lord hanging on it. His breath was short because of the stretching of His diaphragm, His holy blood running from the wounds from the thorny crown on His head and the spikes driven through His hands and feet. And then consider the crowd around Him, many jeering at Him—even those who were crucified with Him were full of mockery. And then consider the sky as the sun itself grew dark at the sixth hour. “Tell me, ye who hear Him groaning, was there ever grief like His?” 

But Isaiah takes it to the next step: Why is this happening? “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him…and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” It seems so harmless sometimes, our casual attitude toward the Word of God. In teaching the Catechism, probably the most depressing aspect of the Ten Commandments is realizing how utterly impossible it is to keep them. If you understand the Commandments the way the Pharisees understood them, then maybe it’s not so bad: you haven’t broken the Fifth Commandment, for example, if you don’t actually end someone else’s life. But Jesus makes it plain that even thinking evil thoughts toward someone or calling them a name is the same as plunging a knife into your neighbor’s heart. Even the sins we consider to be the least offensive carry the stiffest of sentences. What is the price of your disobedience to the Word of God? What is the price of your thoughtless words about your neighbor? What is the price of those careless thoughts in your head? What is the price of wanting what your neighbor has? What is the price of your rejection of Christ?

Ye who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great
Here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed, see who bears the awful load;
’Tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.

The price is blood. The price is suffering. The price is affliction.

   

The price is death. That price tag is on your hands and in your heart and mind. This is what you owe. You owe blood. You owe suffering. You owe death. But just as a gentleman takes the bill at a restaurant and will not let his wife pay, Jesus willing takes the debt we owe—the blood, the suffering, even the death—and He pays it Himself for the sake of His Bride, the Church. Though He was innocent of all sin, “He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many…” He bears your grief and sorrows and sin and iniquity. He is afflicted for your sins—the ones that still trouble you, as well as the ones that you committed without a thought as to the consequences. He bears your weaknesses to the cross. He is there not for Himself; He is there for you.

   

Do not run away from that ominous hill with the cross on it. Watch. Look on with wonder and awe as Your Savior bears your sins to death, paying the price your own flesh could not bear. He dies there for you. He dies so that you will live.

Here we have a firm foundation, here the refuge of the lost:
Christ, the Rock of our salvation, is the name of which we boast;
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded who on Him their hope have built.

“The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And with His stripes we are healed.” 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: Son of God, Revealed in Glory

Here's a hymn text for the Transfiguration of Our Lord. It seems as though the disciples don't want to leave the place where they see the Jesus they want: the glorious one. But the Jesus they need is the one who leaves that mountain and goes to the cross, where He bleeds and dies for our forgiveness.  

 

The Gospel appointed for the Transfiguration is Matthew 17:1-9. Feedback is love.

Son of God, Revealed in Glory 

1. Son of God, revealed in glory,
God of God and Light of Light,
You fulfill Your people's story:
Law and Prophets left and right.
Alleluia!
Christ majestic: God of might!

 2. Sinners only seek the mountain
Lit by Your transfigured face.
You instead provide a fountain
 From the cross: a humble grace.
Alleluia!
Watered blood redeems our race.

 3. Holy Son of God, we greet You!
Let us dwell in glory here
Or, if in the vale we meet You,
Light our darkness, calm our fear.
Alleluia!
In Your Supper draw us near.

 4. Hail, transfigured Jesus, shining!
Drive away the night of sin.
When Your Church for light is pining,
Bare our hearts and beam within.
Alleluia!
Let new life in Christ begin!


87 87 47
Temporary Tune: WORCESTER (LSB 506)
Occasion: Transfiguration
Text: Matthew 17:1-9; II Peter 1:19

Sermon for 2/28/16: Lent III

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Mercy for the Helpless

Luke 11:14-28

 

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

You’ve heard the old saying. “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” Too often, Christians are willing to believe that God works against us, that He impulsively seeks to frustrate and torture us. We are convinced that He leaves us to work things out for ourselves before we come to Him. We speak as if the Lord tortures us to make us stronger, that He is purposefully harsh so that we learn to bear suffering and turmoil. We are sure His blessing, His generosity is only a reward for withstanding the test, His kindness the prize for not giving up or giving in. And we are certain that the Lord smiles on us only after we’ve done our part, after we prove to Him that we are worthy of His love, mercy, compassion and goodness.

 

In all this, we accuse the Lord God of being the devil. After all, that is the devil’s way: to torment and torture, to lead us to despair, to urge us to hide from the Lord, and to drive us to turn into ourselves and rely on our inner strength, our own solutions, our abilities and cleverness, and whatever else we think will straighten us out and make life smooth. The devil wants us to believe that the Lord’s mercy is nothing more than an attitude God has toward us, and that His feelings can change just as quickly as ours do.

 

In all this, the devil is not alone. Our inborn distrust and our world team up with Satan. Together, they seek to convince us that the war between good and evil is escalating, that the outcome is still in doubt, and that we are caught in the middle. To be sure, we must fight against our flesh, against the desire to give in, against the fears that seek to control us and the passions that seek to drag us to hell. We must fight against all that is ungodly—both within our flesh and in our world. But we fight not because the final outcome between God and the devil depends on us. We fight so that we don’t give into the devil’s lies; so that we aren’t deceived by his tricks; so that we don’t run from Our Lord’s mercy.

 

Yet in all this—especially as we strive to do what is right, as we wrestle against our sinful desires—we need to hear and take to heart what Our Lord says in today’s Gospel. His words are words of encouragement, words designed to urge us to live in His mercy by living according to His commandments. Sure, the devil still runs about making like he is strong one, acting like he still has a say over life. And many fall for the trap. They fear the strong man rather than hiding behind the Stronger One. But don’t you fall for the trap; don’t believe the lie; don’t give into your fears; don’t be controlled by your passions. For the Lord has released you from Satan’s grip, and has made you His own. “And the Lord showers grace and mercy upon His chosen ones.”

 

That grace and mercy is Our Lord Jesus Himself, sacrificed on the cross so that His watered blood might be poured over you in Baptism, and His body and blood fed into you in His Supper. There you receive the victory the Lord has already won. There you are given everything you need to withstand the assaults of the devil. And there, in the Holy Sacraments, together with preaching—there is the righteous hand of God watching over you. And in this way, Our Lord shows that He never lets down those who hope in Him, and He never disappoints those who rely on His promised help. As the devil continually haunts you, attacks you, assaults you and accuses you, so our Lord Jesus even more stridently and forcefully comes to your aid and provides His ready help. With these holy and sacred mysteries, Our Lord not only flicks away and casts out Satan with the finger of God; He also strengthens you, comforts and settles you, and keeps you firm in His Word and grace, and He will do so until He calls you to your eternal home. 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: O Love, Revealed in Flesh

Once again I'm working backwards. (No Polish jokes, please.) Here's a hymn for the third and final Sunday in Pre-Lent, Quinquagesima. The account of the blind man who cries out to Jesus, "Son of David, have mercy!" is a compelling one, especially when paired with I Corinthians 13 as the Epistle. Love compels Jesus to go to the cross; love compels Him to stop for this blind man. Jesus in the embodiment of the love Paul describes. I tried to capture that in this text. Let me know what you think.

O Love, Revealed in Flesh

1. O Love, revealed in flesh,
All patient, kind, and humble,
Who does not seek to boast
Nor joys to see me stumble:
Have mercy, Lord, I pray!
O Son of David, hear!
I need Your boundless grace.
In perfect love draw near.

2. My sin has made me weak
And shrouds my eyes with blindness.
I know my wretched state;
I merit not Your kindness.
But still I call Your name.
You pause to hear my plea.
You take away my sin
And cause my eyes to see.

3. Restore the eyes of faith
To see true Love extended
Upon the holy cross.
Let me not be offended,
But cry out all the more
To You who makes me see,
Who died in perfect love
To bear my cross for me.

∆ 4. O Christ, incarnate Love,
Whose mercy knows no ending,
You answer every prayer,
Each trespasser befriending.
All praise to You, O Lord;
O Father, glory be,
And to the Holy Ghost:
My God eternally.


76 76 66 66
Tune: WAS FRAG ICH NACH DER WELT (LSB 730)
Occasion: Quinquagesima (LSB 1-year)
Text: Luke 18:31-43; I Corinthians 13

Sermon for 2/24/16: Midweek Lent II (Hymns series)

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Here's a YouTube video of a lovely harp arrangement of the tune of our sermon hymn, and the text of the hymn is in the notes on the video's page.

             

A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth

Exodus 12:1-14

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

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” When John the Baptist announced the presence of Jesus in this way, anyone who had been raised in a faithful Jewish home could not help but see images of the Passover. You see, Egypt had forgotten Joseph, the right-hand man of Pharaoh who had delivered Egypt from famine and ruin. Joseph’s brothers had come to Egypt, and Joseph had welcomed them and their children. But Egypt had forgotten—and they had not merely forgotten Joseph; they had forgotten Joseph’s God, the One who had given Joseph the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams and led Joseph to deliver the land from starvation. Egypt had forgotten, and so they had enslaved the children of Israel. God’s people cried out for deliverance, and His ultimate answer was a sacrifice. A spotless male lamb was chosen for the family. At the appointed time, the Lamb would be slaughtered. The blood would be applied to the doorposts and the beam over the door of each house where the children of Israel lived; and when the Angel of Death approached, He would pass over the houses of the children of Israel and put to death the firstborn sons of Egypt. In this way the Lord delivered His chosen people.

So when John called Jesus “the Lamb of God,” He was telling everyone within earshot that Jesus would be the one to deliver the children of God from their sin. Just as Egypt had forgotten Joseph and his God, the children of Israel had forgotten their God, the God who had led them out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land. He had promised to be their God, and they had promised to be His people. He had been faithful; they had not. They had done what was right in their own eyes, which was not right in the eyes of God. They were slaves, bound in chains of their own making. They needed a Savior, and God heard their cries. He sent His Son, the spotless Lamb of God, as the Sacrifice appointed to deliver His people from their bondage to sin.

How could Egypt forget? How could Israel forget? It seems preposterous that Egypt could forget that they would have been starved to death, their nation left for dead in the blistering sun for the buzzards, had it not been for Joseph’s God. It seems preposterous that Israel could forget the God who delivered them from Egypt. But they did forget—Israel forgot over and over and over again! But before you judge Israel too harshly, don’t overlook how easily you forget the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. If you remembered as you should, how could you justify the sins you commit? If you remembered as you should, how could you take for granted the forgiveness you receive in the Divine Service? How could you do anything but clamor for the body and blood of Jesus at every opportunity? They only had the promise of the Lamb of God; you have that promise fulfilled, and still you forget. Still you do what is right in your own eyes. Still you take that Sacrifice for granted.

There is a major difference between the original Passover lamb and the Lamb of God. The Passover lamb was chosen; it had no choice in shedding its blood for the benefit of God’s people. The Lamb of God was also chosen, but He had a choice. Though He was the Sacrifice appointed from before the foundation of the world, He had the power, the authority, to choose to forego the suffering set before Him. And yet, as our hymn tells us:

A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth, The guilt of sinners bearing

And, laden with the sins of earth, None else the burden sharing;

Goes patient on, grows weak and faint, To slaughter led without complaint,

That spotless life to offer,

He bears the stripes, the wounds, the lies, The mockery and yet replies,

“All this I gladly suffer.”

As He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.” “This Lamb is Christ, the soul’s great Friend, The Lamb of God, our Savior, Whom God the Father chose to send to gain for us His favor.” Jesus knows the role set before Him. And He submits. He goes willingly, meekly, silently to the slaughter.

His sacrifice is for you. The blood of that sacrificial Lamb of God covers all of your sin, all of your disobedience, all of your betrayal, all of your apathy. Just as the Angel of Death passed over the children of Israel, death sees the blood of the Lamb upon you in the whitened robe of Christ’s righteousness; death sees the blood of the Lamb within you in the Holy Supper. And seeing Christ upon you and within you, death passes over you.

Lord, when Your glory I shall see and taste Your kingdom's pleasure,

Your blood my royal robe shall be, my joy beyond all measure.

When I appear before Your throne, Your righteousness shall be my crown;

With these I need not hide me.

And there, in garments richly wrought, as Your own bride, shall we be brought

To stand in joy beside You.

It’s all about the Lamb of God, and the Lamb of God is for you. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

HYMN: The Master Sends the Call

The work continues on my project to write a hymn for every Sunday in the 1-year lectionary. This text is appointed for Septuagesima, the first Sunday in the season of Pre-Lent. Pre-Lent is like when you're getting ready to go on a trip. Lent is the trip; Pre-Lent is packing for the trip, setting your itinerary, and all those other things you do before you go. Pre-Lent is preparation for the repentant Lenten journey to the cross with Christ. Anyway, feedback is always welcome. The first verse is an overview, and the rest is prayer.

The Master Sends the Call

1. The Master sends the call,
"Come labor, one and all,"
His gracious offer sending
From dawn 'til day is ending.
He summons His creation:
To each his own vocation.

2. O Lord, my soul is bared.
My guilt has been declared.
My work is cold and feeble,
All tainted by my evil.
The sin that I inherit
Means death is all I merit.

3. I waste the precious day.
You call me anyway
To spend my time in labor.
Oh, what a gracious favor!
No longer am I guessing
If I must earn Your blessing.

4. I snivel 'til the end,
Yet still You call me "friend."
My greed may seek to shake me,
But You will not forsake me.
Self-righteous foes accuse me;
In love You call and choose me.

5. O gracious Master, hear!
I call to You in prayer.
Oh, keep me true and humble,
Lest I be found to grumble.
Whenever You recruit me,
The wage You give shall suit me.


66 77 77
Tune: AUF MEINEN LIEBEN GOTT (LSB 745)
Occasion: Septuagesima
Texts: Matthew 20:1-16; Psalm 130:1; Psalm 9:9-10

The LCMS Needs to Do Some Serious Thinking

Some talking head once said, "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." There is a grain of truth to this. But what this saying leaves out is that sometimes you actually do want to get what you've always gotten, and in that case you *should* do what you've always done. This is especially true of the Word of God. The New Testament is nearly two-thousand years old, and the Old Testament older still. Faithfulness to the Word of God has, by the grace of God, produced many blessings, including the eternal blessings of life and salvation. Setting aside that Word for the imaginations of our own hearts (as do many who call themselves "Christians" and even "Lutherans") will produce something else. And when those who sow have reaped what they have sown, they will not be able to blame Christ; He will have given them exactly what they wanted. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Sermon for 2/21/16: Lent II

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It’s Not about the Dog

Matthew 15:21-28

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

If this account of Jesus and the Canaanite woman is supposed to be about us, too, then we're in trouble. We read this story and say, “OK, Jesus is just testing her. He's going to see if she has enough faith, if she's persistent enough.” So the conclusion is that God will help you if you trust Him enough, if you just ask enough, if you just show persistence! When you read the text that way, you make Christianity into a religion that’s about you; you make Jesus into a god who only answers when you have enough faith or trust. If you read and hear the story that way, you’re in trouble. After all, who has enough faith? Who has enough trust? Which of us doesn't just want to give up on the Lord because we feel like He's paying no attention to us? If the point of this story is that we all need to be more persistent like this woman, then we may as well throw in the towel; no one is strong enough to be as faithful as some woman who made it into the Bible. But this story is not about her. It's not about you. It's about Jesus. That's what saves us, just as it's Jesus who saves this woman and her demon-possessed daughter. 

Jesus says he only came for the Jews, the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But He deliberately went strolling around Tyre and Sidon, and that’s Gentile country! He acts like He is ignoring her, but He lets her tag along even when the disciples are trying to get rid of her. Then He calls her a dog, knowing full well that He intends to give her crumbs—and more than that, He gives her life and salvation! But she has no right to come to Him on her own. She cannot approach him on the basis of being a Gentile. She cannot come to Him just because she has the right words when she calls Him, “Lord, Son of David.” What Jesus has for her isn't based on what she does or what she says. It's based on who He is: the Savior of sinners, the One who has power over the devil. In fact, He comes to her as One who will be more of a dog than she ever was or will be! The dogs were the Gentiles, and the Gentiles were excluded. But Jesus was even less: counted as unclean, counted as a blasphemer, nailed to a cross, led outside the city where the criminals and the trash belong. The great irony here is that Jesus is the dog, the One Who is out. He is excluded for her. He is excluded for you. That's what He came to do. He came to Gentile land to save a Gentile and her daughter. It's a picture of the bigger thing: that He came into a world of sinners to save sinners, no matter their ethnicity. He came to save sinners: to save her; to save you. 

This woman's faith is Jesus. If she takes her eyes off of Him, if she stops calling out to Him, then she's done. Her daughter's done. He is all she has. That's what her faith is about. She knows only Jesus can save her. And He alone can save you and me. So the big deal for her is Jesus, no matter how much or how little He has for her. So it is for you and me. That's all we've got: Jesus. And though we don't see Him as she did, we have Him in our baptism, in preaching and absolution, and in His Supper. Here He is to cry out to, to hang on to as Jacob did, refusing to let go until He blesses us. And this isn't about you. It's not about persistence or anything else that you can claim to be. Understand this: the same Jesus who died and rose to save you, who washed, forgives and feeds you, is the same Jesus whose Holy Spirit gives you the faith that trusts Him for all things. Faith in Jesus is a great faith, and that’s because Jesus is a great Savior. So go. Your faith, your Jesus, has saved you. You have been healed from the very moment His Word said so. 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 2/17/16: Midweek Lent I (hymns series)

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Savior, When in Dust to Thee

Ezekiel 18:25-32

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

After we sing the Magnificat this evening, we will pray together a prayer called a “litany.” A litany is “a series of petitions…recited by the clergy and responded to in a recurring formula by the people.” It often works something like this:

            In peace, let us pray to the Lord;

                        Lord, have mercy.

Our hymn for this evening, “Savior, When in Dust to Thee,” is based on a litany. Listen to these petitions:

By all Thy pains and woe suffered once for us below…
            By Thy helpless infant years, By Thy life of want and tears,

By Thy days of deep distress in the savage wilderness,

By the dread, mysterious hour of the insulting tempter’s power…

By Thine hour of dire despair, By Thine agony of prayer,

By the cross, the nail, the thorn, Piercing spear and torturing scorn,

By the gloom that veiled the skies Over the dreadful sacrifice…

By Thy deep expiring groan, By the sad sepulchral stone,

By the vault whose dark abode Held in vain the rising God…

            Hear our penitential cry!

It is apparent that this hymn is a prayer directed to our Lord Jesus Christ, and what we are asking of Him is that He would hear us for the sake of His suffering and death on our behalf. After all, if you suffered all of this for us, Lord, then surely you love us, and out of your great love for us, you will hear us.

             

It is not always the case that we want the Lord to hear us. In fact, if it were up to us, we could have a litany of the times when we don’t want God to hear us.

            When my sports team loses big; When I overturn my rig;

            When I hammer on my thumb; When I’ve swallowed too much rum;

            When I seek dishonest gain; When I use Thy name in vain;

            When I swear and cheat and lie, Please ignore my foolish cry!

We find ourselves in embarrassing situations, usually of our own making. And then, like Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden, we don’t want the Lord to hear what we’ve been doing. To our shame, we’d rather be left on our own than be caught in our guilt. The times when we should be quickest to cry out to the God who saves are the times when we go into our hidey-holes and foolishly hope that the all-knowing, all-seeing God will not see us or know what we’ve done. Like the Israelites, we cry out, “The way of the Lord is not fair!” It’s not fair that He holds us to such a high standard of conduct. It’s not fair that He hears and sees and knows all we do and say. It’s especially not fair that we can’t even hide in our own thoughts! And we don’t want Him to hear us call Him unfair.

             

But our Father knows all about how things are not fair. It was not fair that His good and perfect creation defiled itself. It was not fair that His chosen people should revile and reject Him at every turn, and then expect Him to deliver them from their own evil plots and schemes and plans. It was not fair that He should have to send His Son to become flesh and live among His disobedient children. It was not fair that His Son should be sacrificed as a Lamb sent to slaughter by the very people He came to save. And then He has to listen to His wayward children whine about what they need. So don’t talk to God about what is fair or what is deserved. If the way of the Lord were to be fair, we would have to pay the price of our own sin. We would owe a debt so overwhelming that we could never pay it, even if we had all of eternity to try to redeem ourselves. “Turn and live,” He says. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions. …Get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” It sounds so simple. It even sounds possible. But it is not. We cannot give ourselves a new heart. We cannot turn away from our sin.

            

And so, though it is not fair, He creates in us new hearts, washing them and making them clean and new in the waters of Holy Baptism, where that unfair suffering and death of His Son is applied to us, marking our overwhelming debt: “PAID IN FULL.” When we sin, He turns us away from that sin; He carries us back us to those baptismal waters through His Word of holy absolution. When we cry out to Him, He hears and answers us, even though we don’t deserve His attention and certainly don’t merit His rich gifts to us. For the sake of the bitter suffering and death of His Son, our Lord Jesus, He does hear. He hears and answers even those prayers we are too ashamed to pray aloud: the prayers for deliverance from alcoholism, from addiction to pornography, from unfaithfulness or callousness toward our spouse, from every dark and dirty misdeed that we would hide if we could. Like Adam and Eve, He calls us out of hiding, answering our shame with His forgiveness and steadfast love.

Do not be afraid to call out to the Lord in the midst of sin and distress. He hears you. He does not answer with what is fair. He answers with love, with mercy, with forgiveness. For the sake of His Son, Jesus, whom He loves; whom He sacrificed in bitter pain and suffering; who died to pay the debt of our sin—for the sake of Jesus, He hears and answers you. Do not be afraid, but call out to Him:

            O, from earth to heaven restored, Mighty, re-ascended Lord,

            Bending from Thy throne on high, Hear our penitential cry!

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: Behold, My Sin Has Killed My Lord

This is a text for Good Friday, based on the Passion History and assembled from various notes in Spangenberg's The Christian Year of Grace (which was translated by Matthew Carver. (Great stuff, Matthew!) Feedback is a blessing.

Behold, My Sin Has Killed My Lord

1. Behold, my sin has killed my Lord!
My thoughts, my words, my actions
Have stood against God's holy Word
And brought about His Passion.
My evil thoughts, the stinging rod
That bruised the flesh of Christ, my God;
My deeds, the nails that pierced Him.

2. Yet God the Father gave His Son,
In mercy did not spare Him.
His death my full atonement won.
Thus did the Father share Him.
How awful, my iniquity!
That Jesus gave His life to be
My life and my salvation.

3. I lay my sins on Jesus Christ
Who bore them without shrinking
As the appointed Sacrifice,
The cup of fury drinking.
His blood has washed my shame away.
I am no longer Satan's prey.
His blood has cleansed my conscience.

4. Lord, keep Your Passion in my sight
When pride and woe assail me.
When my own flesh is weak with fright,
Your cross shall never fail me.
Grant me repentance for my sin.
Turn me from all that I have been
And work good fruit within me.


87 87 887
Tune: DU LEBENSBROT, HERR JESU CHRIST (LSB 622)
Occasion: Good Friday/Lent
Text: The Passion (The Christian Year of Grace)

HYMN: O Lamb of God by Man Betrayed

I've slowly been working on my project of writing hymns for the 1-year lectionary. This is an offering for Maundy Thursday. It focuses on Christ as the Passover Lamb whose blood marks us for salvation. Feedback is always appreciated. I will need to come back to this one, as it's not my strongest work, but I think it's a start on which I can build.

O Lamb of God By Man Betrayed

1. O Lamb of God by man betrayed,

Abandoned in disdain,

Your blood my debt of sin has paid:

Your blood and bitter pain.

2. You feed me with Your holy blood

And flesh: a banquet sweet!

And in that rich, forgiving flood

Is holy love complete.

3. Your blood is evermore a sign,

A seal to bar the way.

You mark me with that brand divine,

And death is held at bay.

4. O Lamb of God, my great High Priest,

You bleed and so forgive.

Forever be my holy Feast

That I may eat and live.

CM

Tune: DETROIT (LSB 843)

Occasion: Maundy Thursday

Text: Exodus 12:1-14; I Corinthians 11:23-32

Sermon for 2/14/16: Lent I

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Delivered

Matthew 4:1-11

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

Jesus tells His followers to pray to the Father: “Lead us not into temptation.” We know that God indeed tempts no one. God doesn’t want His children to fall into sin, and He promises that no temptation will befall His people that we are not able to withstand by the power of the Holy Spirit. But today we see a unique temptation, one into which the Holy Spirit actually led Jesus. Face to face with Satan himself, your High Priest is willingly tempted like you in all ways. But there’s one difference this time: Jesus didn’t sin.

You misunderstand this story if you think it is our how-to manual to avoid temptations. Jesus used the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit, as His weapon against Satan; so you think that, armed with your own spirituality and strength of will, you can resist temptation too. But this is not a Law example for you to follow, for you are not God. You are frail, sinful people who fail to resist temptation, for you daily sin much, following the example of your earthly father, Adam, who was enticed by forbidden fruits.

This temptation is really our Lord’s Own work, a Gospel gift to you. After all, it was in your place that He did what you couldn’t, standing up to the devil’s temptations to defeat Him once and for all. He did this for you, that you may live not by bread alone, that you would be satisfied by the Word of God’s mouth. This Word in Jesus became flesh, so that instead of forbidden fruit, you may feast on bread which, by that Word of God, hides Christ’s body, which He gave for you at Calvary and with which He feeds you in His holy Supper for your forgiveness.

You give into temptation all too readily because you are just like that old Adam. Just as his human nature was thoroughly corrupted by sin after the Fall, you too inherit that same sin-befouled flesh. The children of Adam and Eve are so easy to tempt—and not just by Satan, but also by your own selfish desires! The devil tempted Eve with the things she wanted in her selfishness, and you too really want the many sinful things you covet and lust for against God’s will for you.

Jesus didn’t fall for Satan’s tricks, noting the part of scripture the devil craftily omitted. As Satan tried God’s own word against Jesus, he failed, omitting the important phrase, “in all Your ways.” Jesus didn’t forget God’s ways, praying often, “Thy will be done.” Jesus didn’t do what He as a human may have wanted; He did the Father’s will for your salvation! Jesus remembered His place as the Son of God, and He reminded Satan of that fact, forbidding the devil from testing God. And in baptism, God’s will is to restore His image to you in His Name.

You are tempted by questioning what God says, ignoring His revelation to you. It is so much easier to follow the crowd, to listen and give in to popular opinion. You think that God can’t really mean what He says when so many people believe otherwise. Such is the temptation Satan used on Eve, when he said to her, “Did God really say...?” Such is the temptation into which the Israelites succumbed, testing God in the Sinai, wondering if He was really speaking through Moses.

Jesus doesn’t question God’s word or ignore it. Instead, Jesus answers Satan’s question, “Did God really say…?” He answers resoundingly, telling the devil that man lives “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Jesus reminds you: God says that, instead of tempting Him, you are to worship Him. The highest form of worship is not done in what you do; the highest form of worship happens when He gives you His good gifts of gospel grace, and you receive them by His gift of faith—a gift He gives you through the Spirit in your Baptism. God really says to you today, “I forgive you all your sins” through Christ who died in your place, who rose to exalt you on high!

So as you go forth today to face the many temptations from the devil, from the world, and even from your own sinful flesh, rejoice that the forgiveness God provides for you is not given with any devilish strings attached. You don’t need to bow to Satan or put your Father to the test. Instead, God gives His grace to you freely through His Son, Jesus, who has already been tempted in your place. He resisted Satan perfectly, even dying for you as your perfect sacrifice at Calvary’s cross. Don’t trust your own strength to resist temptation. Trust His strength. Trust His obedience. Trust His love for you. He is sufficient for the task. He does not lead you into temptation; He delivers you from evil. 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.