Sermon for 10/31/21: Festival of the Reformation

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“One Little Word…”

John 8:31-36

 

 

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

 

It is not an exaggeration to say that all of the problems of God’s people in Scripture happened as a result of not abiding in His Word. The Old Testament prophets offered a continual litany of the ways in which Israel ignored the Word and will of God, and the disastrous consequences that followed. The same can be said for the Church in every generation. If we do not abide in the Word, we mock God. When we do not abide in God’s Word, we become accountable—guilty—before God, just as all the world is guilty before God. We stand under the condemnation of the Law. The Law of God does not save us. The Law cannot save us; it only condemns us. That Law says that we are to love God with all our being; it tells us we must love our neighbor as ourselves. We cannot do this because we are born in sin, the inheritance we have from our first parents. And so, the holy apostle is correct when he writes: “Therefore by the deeds of the Law, no flesh will be justified in his sight, for by the Law is the knowledge of sin.”

The Christian faith tells us that attempting to live by the Law in order to be saved can only bring condemnation. That was the lesson Luther learned as a monk. He could pray literally thousands of prayers; he could whip his flesh into submission with monastic discipline; he could say a hundred Masses. None of these, nor anything else he did, could pay his debt of sin to God. At that end of that road, all Luther could see was death and condemnation. He cried out in despair for a gracious God: a God who would love him in spite of his countless human frailties; a God who would redeem him even though his sins were too many to number. In the same way, every attempt we make to pay our debt of sin to God falls short. The Law works repentance, not salvation. The Law declares us guilty of sin. The minute we think salvation is a solo effort on our part, or even a cooperative venture between “me and Jesus,” is the very minute we become slaves to sin.

In the reading we heard from the Revelation to St. John, we were told that there was an angel flying in the midst of heaven who had “...the everlasting Gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth: to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” In our beloved Reformation hymn, “A Mighty Fortress,” we sing: “The Word they still shall let remain, nor any thanks have for it; He’s by our side upon the plain with His good gifts and Spirit. And take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife, though these all be gone, our victory has been won; the kingdom ours remaineth.” This stanza confesses that the Church will never perish. Our Lord Jesus Christ is ready to defend her to the end because she is His beloved Bride, purchased and won at the cost of His own life. And this Church believes and confesses, “...the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed...through faith in Jesus Christ, for all who believe.” It is in this word about the righteousness of God revealed through faith in Jesus Christ that our Lord wants us to abide!

When we abide in God’s Word, when we put aside the fads and trends and gimmicks to abide in the clear words of Holy Scripture, as rightly confessed and explained in our Lutheran Confessions, then we know the truth. And the truth frees us from having to fear, love, and trust in any other god, whether the false god of self or any idol we have made. It is truly liberating to give up trying to remake the Christian faith in our own image, and simply have Christ mold us into His image through preaching and Baptism, through Absolution and His Supper.

There is an old saying: “The Church is always being reformed.” As long as we draw breath in this life, we will be fighting for the faith. That fight will not always be popular, not even among our fellow Lutherans. We may face mockery, persecution, prison, or even death for the sake of the Word. Still, we contend for the truth of God’s Word faithfully, because we know that the Gospel, with its gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation, offers us the only hope there is. both for this life, and for the life that is to come.

Luther said it very well: “Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill; they shall not overpower us. This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; one little word can fell him.” From the cross Jesus cried out, “Tetelestai!”—that is, “It is finished!” All of salvation’s work is done. Satan no longer has any power, for Jesus has won the victory. Abide in that word, that victory. For in Jesus, “The kingdom ours remaineth.” 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 10/24/21: Twenty-First Sunday After Trinity

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Endless Mercy

John 4:46-54

 

 

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

 

How little we understand the mercy our Lord extends to us daily! Our Lord does not treat us as we treat each other. We tend to lash out at those who upset us. We ignore those who don’t please us. We want to get back at those who offend us. We are likely to take offense at the slightest comment, no matter how innocently spoken. And too often we are unwilling to forgive and make the first move toward reconciliation.

Worse than all this, we deal with our Lord the same way. We beg Him to pardon our sins, but in the same breath we demand that He live up to our expectations. We ask Him to deliver us from every evil, yet too often we grouse and complain when He doesn’t act quickly enough to suit us. We beg Him to calm us and grant us His peace, yet we blame Him for our self-made troubles. And so we go our own way. We ignore the strengthening He gives in His Supper. And we resist and fight against His forgiveness, His love, His kindness, His mercy.

Yet even when we are faithless, our Lord remains faithful. Even when we turn on Him, He does not turn against us. He comes back time and again and says, “You can’t make Me hate you. I love you. My love brought you into this world, and I am determined to love you to the end and into My kingdom. I will not force Myself upon you, but neither will you force Me away from you. And no matter how much you think you can wish me out of your world, I will never leave you nor forsake you. My mercy endures forever.” Such relentless love! Such persistent, single-minded mercy! He will not give up on us. He will always stretch out His hand, no matter how often we slap it away.

Deep down—because the Holy Spirit sealed you in the Faith when you were baptized; because the Spirit of God persistently and consistently delivers the mercy of God into your own flesh—deep down, you are not surprised to hear how determined our Lord is in His mercy. And so, deep down, you are also not surprised at the way our Lord Jesus reacts to the man who begged Him to come down and heal his son. Still, we often take the Lord and His mercy for granted. In fact, we act as if His mercy is our right, as if He owes that to us. But no matter how we treat our Lord, no matter how little we comprehend His mercy, He always responds the same: with endless mercy.

And so, when the man approaches Him, our Lord does not say, “Go away.” Instead, Jesus kindly tells him, “Go your way. Your son lives.” Do you see the mercy of Jesus? The man is not much of a believer, but our Lord answers his prayer anyway. For the sake of Jesus, our Father still gives life back to this man’s son. The Spirit stirs up in this man the faith to take Jesus at His word; He give the man confidence to walk away, trusting that what Jesus says is good and true and right.

So just how merciful is our Lord? So much so, that He can heal our souls, strengthen our bodies, and refresh our spirits using nothing more than His word. When He speaks, He brings us back to life. This is why Jesus says what He does to this man. Jesus does not rebuke the man for his dullness of faith, but rather breathes to life a true and living faith. And Jesus does not shoo the man away because he’s a bothersome pest, but rather He says, “Your son lives,” so that true faith might come alive and grow both in him and in his whole household.

And that is precisely what our Lord, in His mercy, does for us. When we are sure that He is ignoring us or crushing us, He is actually working for our good. When we are sure He has turned against us, He is actually fighting mightily for us. When we are sure He’s only doing the least, He is actually doing His utmost. Our Lord revives and heals us simply by speaking His word. But here is where our Lord’s mercy exceeds our imagination. Our Lord gives us—into our mouths, into our own flesh and blood—the very life that He is; His own death-defying body, and His own life-renewing blood so that we might be saved.

See yourself, then, as the nobleman in today’s Gospel: the doubting, barely believing man whom the Lord gently and lovingly brings to faith. Even more so, see yourself as the man’s son—a person in a losing battle with death; and then here comes Jesus in His word and Spirit to chase away death, the devil, and hell; to bring you not just back from the brink, but into the fullness of the life that He is and so earnestly desires to live in you and through you. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.               

 

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

Sermon for 10/17/21: Twentieth Sunday After Trinity

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Dressed for a Wedding

Matthew 22:1-14

 

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

 

The worst way to think about today’s Gospel is to get all wrapped up in whether or not you are chosen. When you look at yourself, you will see only your sins and unbelief. Are you chosen? Do you live as one who is chosen? Your sins say that you don’t live as if God has chosen you. You don’t even deserve the invitation to His Feast! I can understand if this identification hurts your pride a little bit. No one wants to take an invitation out of charity. If you weren’t first on the list, then it’s a slap in the face, even if there’s free food. At first glance, it looks from this story like you were God’s second-thought guests, as if it was all by chance that you ever came to faith and received the forgiveness of all your sins. 

When those who had been invited rejected the King’s invitation, He sent His servants out to the street to invite everyone to the Feast, both the good and the bad. The problem with the man who got tossed out of the Feast wasn’t that he was a sinner, but that he didn’t have the wedding garment on! He came into the Feast invited, but He wasn’t properly dressed. What mattered was the invitation and the King’s wedding garment.

So who is chosen? Instead of looking inside, look outside. The answer is outside of you. The answer is wrapped around you. How are you dressed? In and of yourself, that’s as uncertain as whether you are chosen or not. Just as there is no certainty in your own merit that you are chosen, there is no certainty in your own clothes. Your garments aren’t acceptable to God. Your clothes are stained by your sins. They are filthy rags before God.

Does that mean that we get tossed out of the wedding Feast too? We certainly deserve that. But the good news of today is that the King clothes you with His own wedding garment. He gives you His clothing! He clothed you with the righteousness won by Jesus on the cross and wrapped around you in Holy Baptism. His righteousness covers your unrighteousness. His garment covers your filthy rags. His garment is the answer to all the questions of today. Are you called? Yes, He called you and invited you to His feast. How do you know? You wear the King’s garment, which was put on you in Baptism. Those guests who were last invited relied totally on the generosity of the Host. That is what pure grace is. In the exact same way, you had nothing about you that made you worthy to receive the Gospel invitation; it was all by grace that you got in to the banquet of the Lord’s salvation.

And yet, for the rest of your life, you will face the constant temptation to throw this all away. You remain a sinner, and sinners reject the Lord and insist on their own way. They want to be independent from God. Sinners often fall for the alluring but empty promises of the devil. Like others before you who rejected the Master’s invitation—one preferred to tend to his farm, another to his business—the pattern continues today: one believes it’s more important to go to the football game; one takes the weekend off to relax; others will have their excuses. All sinners face these opportunities to gratify their sinful flesh. It makes sense to a sinner to be spiritual, but it’s just too confining to one’s style to be religious. But for you, your Lord offers to strengthen you to face these temptations. He takes away your sin, clothing you in the perfect wedding garment you inherited when you were baptized.

The heavenly banquet, the Body and Blood of Christ, is laid before you here on the Altar, though for right now it is hidden under bread and wine. You are worthy of this feast because Christ your Savior bestowed His perfect worthiness upon You by faith. Be assured that your heavenly Father loves to put on His wedding feast to end all wedding feasts, sparing no expense. And He has even dressed you for the feast in the finest garment ever: the spotless robe of His Son’s perfect righteousness, made white in the blood of the Lamb. 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 10/10/21: Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity

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First Things First
Matthew 9:1-8

 

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

 

 

There are those who come to Jesus and His Church because they want Him to fix something that is broken. Maybe it’s a bad marriage. Maybe it’s a lousy job. Maybe it’s an addiction. Maybe it’s wild and rebellious children. Maybe it’s parents who just don’t seem to love and care for their children as they should. Or maybe it’s people like those who carried this man, who come to Jesus for someone they care about, someone who means the world to them. Whatever it is, lots of people come to Jesus looking for a quick fix.

And when you come to Jesus, and He says, “My child, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven,” you can scarcely hide your disappointment. “That’s it?” you think. “That’s all I get from Him? Why did I even bother coming in the first place?” So, Jesus put the question to the Scribes and to us: “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk?’” Which do you think is easier to say? “Talk is cheap,” as they saying goes. Don’t you think that fixing whatever serious problem you have is the harder thing for the Lord to do? Maybe He is just disguising His inability to really help you by telling you over and over again, “Take heart, your sins are forgiven.”  What use is a church that only talks about forgiveness? That is what many would say, or at least think. Is that what you think? Do you want a church and a Jesus that fixes all the things that have relevance to your life right now?

“Which is easier?” As God in human flesh, Jesus could have healed the man with a word. After all, He created all things, including you. Doing a little “fix-up job” on something that has gone wrong with your life is really no work for Him at all. But forgiveness is another story altogether. You might think that is nothing. But stop and think about what forgiveness cost Jesus. He didn’t need to take on our human flesh to heal the paralytic. Jesus came into the flesh to do the hard thing: to take to Himself the entire burden and load of your sin, and to carry it in His body to the cross, there to endure the righteous judgment of the Father against all human sin. And He did it all so that He can speak the word of forgiveness to you, the word that is drenched in His own blood; signed, sealed, and delivered by His own death. “Which is easier?” To heal the paralytic, Jesus just spoke His word: “Get up!” And the man got up. But to speak the word of forgiveness to him and to you, He went to the cross. Forgiveness is anchored in our Lord’s death. Never forget what it cost Him to give it to you.

But you may still be thinking, “Sure, forgiveness is great. But what about those things that need fixing in my life?” Let’s get some perspective on this. If He heals you, you are still going to die one day and stand before the judgment seat of God. If He fixes your marriage, you are still going to die one day and stand before the judgement seat of God. If he fixes your job situation, you are still going to die one day and stand before the judgment seat of God. If He fixes every complaint you’ve got about your life, you are still going to die one day and stand before the judgment seat of God. That day may be today. And those who have not availed themselves of His forgiveness here on earth will not have the chance to avail themselves of it after this life is over. No matter what you think the big problem is, nothing comes even remotely close to the problem you have with sin. And you do not want to leave this world with your sin still on your back. You want to leave this world with the forgiveness of Christ poured all over you.

And He is waiting eagerly to do just that! He pours it over you in the water of Holy Baptism. He feeds it constantly into you with the promises of His Word. He seals that promise to you every time you come to this altar, trusting that you receive here what He promises: His body and blood, His forgiveness of all your sins; His life poured into you. Our Lord and His Church are concerned first and foremost with the only issue that ultimately matters: how you stand before God.

Wrapped in His forgiveness, you can face whatever comes your way with confidence, because you know how the story is going to turn out. The same Christ who says to you: “My child, take heart: your sins are forgiven,” is the One who will stand again on this earth, and He will call you by name from your grave and invite you into His eternal kingdom. The forgiven have an eternal home, a life in Christ that never ends. You are set free to live a blessed life of forgiveness, even in the midst of all the broken things that need fixing. Yes, He will take care of those things, too, all in His own time. But first things first—and the first thing is the forgiveness of your sins. 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 9/19/21: Sixteenth Sunday After Trinity

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“God Has Visited His People”

Luke 7:11-17

 

 

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

 

 

We hear on Christmas morning the words of the Apostle John: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” These are words of great joy to the people of God, for they tell us about the wonderful love which God has for us in providing a Savior—and more than that, how that Savior is God in flesh, living among His people, bringing light and life to a world into which sin brought darkness and death. And as we go through the Gospels—and even as we look at Old Testament accounts of God visiting His faithful children—we see how His presence among His people brings blessing, hope, and life.

What a blessing that is for us to hear, because the casket is always there before our eyes. “The wages of sin is death,” Saint Paul tells us. Every funeral is a reminder that you are a sinner. Only the person who is without sin has the power to escape the casket alive. We have all known wonderful people, people whom even the cynical world would consider to be good people. We all have heard of the wonderful work Mother Theresa did for the poor and helpless in the world. But we also know that Mother Theresa is dead. Martin Luther was perhaps the greatest witness to the truth of God’s Word the world has seen in a thousand years. But Martin Luther is dead, too. If you think you can earn life; if you think you deserve to escape the grave; if you think you can cheat death—look at the casket. Look at the names on the gravestones in the cemetery. Good works done by sinners—even the greatest works performed by the greatest people—do not merit life. Every casket is a reminder that we are sinners who have earned only death.

But Jesus visits, and He stops the death procession. The pallbearers stand still. The hearse pulls to the side of the road. Where Jesus goes, He brings light and life to “those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.” He touches the coffin. He’s not superstitious, nor is He afraid of death. He says with authority, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And, sure enough, the young man from Nain sat up and spoke. Death is powerless before the Lord of life.

You may remember that I said earlier, “Only the person who is without sin has the power to escape the casket alive.” Nothing has changed to deny the truth of that statement. But what about the young man from Nain? What about the widow’s son in Zarephath whom Elijah brought back life? What about the daughter of Jairus? What about Lazarus? People are popping out of their graves all over the place! How can this be? How can these sinners rise up out of death?

This is a wonderful foreshadowing of the resurrection. Jesus is the One who is without sin. Jesus is the One who has the power to escape the tomb alive. It takes Someone who is without sin to bring life out of death. So the sinless Jesus died the death of a sinner, bearing all the sin of the world upon Himself. And then He emerged from the tomb, destroying the power of death forever. Everyone raised by the power of God before Jesus rose was pointing forward to that day when Jesus burst forth from the tomb.

And everyone raised by the power of God was also pointing forward to the Last Day, when all flesh will be raised up, and all the faithful will dwell in the presence of God forever. The One who died a sinless death has given His death to sinners so that we would live forever. Once again, Jesus stops the death procession—only this time, it will be permanent. Every casket will be empty. Every body that has been corrupted by sin will be raised up, forever to be without sin, forever to live. Again, how can this be?

This is true because, in Jesus, “God has visited His people.” He visits us wherever “two or three are gathered in His name…” He visits us in the waters of Holy Baptism, placing His holy name upon us, wrapping us in the sparkling, spotless robes of His own righteousness. He visits us in His Supper, present in bread and wine by the power of His Word to deliver to us life and salvation. And in all these things, He gives us life. Only the person without sin has the power to escape the casket, so Jesus gives us His perfect obedience, His life without sin. He visits us with His gifts of life; and death, now powerless, bows silent before Him.

Jesus tells the widow, “Do not weep.” Sinners cannot help but mourn the death of those we love. But we do not grieve like those without hope, because we know this is not truly the end. “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain…” For in Christ, “God has visited His people.” 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 9/12/21: Fifteenth Sunday After Trinity

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Lilies, Birds, and You
Matthew 6:24-34

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

 

 

There are only two gods. One has many names and faces; as many, in fact, as you could possibly want. You can call him “god.” You can call him “Allah” or “Vishnu,” or make up a new name for him. He doesn’t mind. He’ll go by any name. He exists only to better the existence of his servants. He finds commonality amongst all religions, seeking peace and prosperity regardless of the cost. His password is tolerance. He isn’t jealous. He is quite modern-minded and enlightened. He has no strict doctrine or moral code. He is never harsh, never confrontational, never condemning. He encourages his followers to pamper and indulge themselves. And he glibly tells his servants that they can have as many idols as they like.

But of course, this so-called “god” is a liar! All of Satan’s promises are just bait. They are traps. He deceives in order to enslave, and eventually to devour. He is willing to bide his time. He lures men to complacency, all the easier to lead them to the slaughter. And yet, most of the world has fallen prey to his delusion. And that is because he is far easier to take than the other option, the God of suffering and sacrifice. That other Master is so old-fashioned; He is actually jealous. He won’t allow multiple masters. He offends the sensitivities of fallen men. He calls them “sinners.” He is not tolerant. He does not believe in freedom of religion. He won’t hear prayers in any other name. He is the God of truth, the God of Light. And if you will be His, then you can belong to no other. For no other is of any help or comfort. Jesus is the One, the only One, and He still wants you.

And so, what shall we eat? We shall eat the Body of Jesus, born of the Virgin, executed for crimes He did not commit, and raised again to glory by His Father—given for you. What shall we drink? We shall drink the blood of Jesus, the very same that flowed from His wounds, poured out for the remissions of sins. What shall we wear? We shall wear His righteousness, the baptismal garment of joy that He provides by grace. About what, then, shall we worry? Nothing! All things fade away next to this reality: God loves you in Jesus Christ and promises to remove you from this shadowy valley of pain and bring you to Himself in heaven. So what does it matter if the garage needs painting, or they make fun of you at school, or your football team loses, or terrorists are threatening the nation? God has all of these things well in hand; He knows what He is doing.

When our Lord directed His disciples to the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, they lived in an occupied country. The vast majority of the people were dirt poor. Imagine having nothing to eat—and I don’t mean not wanting to eat the can of soup in the cupboard. Imagine people not living past the age of fifty and half of the children dying by age five. Imagine foreigners dragging off your adolescent sons to fight their wars. In the midst of this Jesus says: “I take care of the birds. I’ll take care of you.”

From the world’s point of view, there is always plenty to worry about. But worrying doesn’t change things. It doesn’t stop thieves and criminals any more than it prevents tooth decay. No mere man knows what the future holds for the stock market, or for America, or for this congregation. The Scriptures are silent about such things. We are more fortunate than most, but we didn’t earn it. In the same way, our Church is not the last word on orthodoxy and truth. We have certainly been fortunate to have the truth of God proclaimed among us. But it doesn’t belong to us by divine right. Despise the Word of God, and it can be taken away. There won’t be Americans or a Missouri Synod in heaven. There will only be Christians: those who were baptized into Christ, heard His Word, ate His body and drank His blood for the remission of sins. But despite the temporary nature of the things God provides for us now, we know this: Jesus is coming back. Death has been defeated. He will not abandon us to the grave.

In the meantime, lilies bloom, wilt, and die, but new ones rise up behind them to bloom again. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Eat the body of Jesus. Drink His blood. Wear the clean garments of acceptance that He provides. All things eventually pass away—all things, that is, except the Word of God. The Word of God never passes away. The Word made flesh has paid your debt. You are forgiven, clean, and whole. And on that day when He returns, He will call you forth from the grave with an invitation you cannot refuse! No man, no terrorist, no bureaucrat, no institution, no government, no devil will be able to stop Him, nor will they be able to stop you as the Lord draws you to Himself, now body and soul together, into His eternal kingdom. 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 9/5/21: Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity

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Mercy and Faith

Luke 17:11-19

                                                  

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

         

There are Ten Commandments in God’s Holy Law; ten instructions for life that we fail to keep. Their simplicity is as sharp as polished steel, and they cut deeply and cleanly to expose our cancerous souls, to show us that we are not good; that things are not right; that we are not spiritually healthy. Ten Commandments, ten guides for our behavior, ten admonitions for decency and self-control, ten godly ideals of what we should be; we fail to keep all of them.

But is it so hard? You wouldn’t think so. Honor your father and mother? We can do that. Love your husband or wife? Of course; that makes sense. Tell the truth about others? Yes, that’s a good thing. That is what we want. That is not at all unreasonable. These commandments do not seem unattainable. They do not seem impossible. At our best, we do all of these, at least part of the time. But why not always? Why not fully? Are we so shallow, so temperamental, so afraid, so self-serving as all of that? Yes, we are. And the Law leaves us no escape. We are without excuse.

Oh, we have reasons. We are weak. We are sinful. Frankly, sometimes we are just not very smart. We do not give sin enough credit for what it does to us; we pamper the Old Adam. But there is no excuse for our behavior, no justification for our sinful self-indulgence. There is nothing—no extenuating circumstances, no once-in-a-lifetime event—that justifies our lies, our violence, our lust, our greed. After suffering the shame of behaving that way, why would someone go and do that again? Why would he do that to himself? Is he that weak, that foolish, that self-destructive? Yes, he is. Yes, I am. Yes, you are. We forget who we are as children of God, wanting to forget both our failures and our obligations. All we have to show for it is pain, sorrow, and shame. There is no excuse, and we know it. Our pride must wither and die. The truth of the Law must have its way. It must force us to our knees, to confession, and, finally, to death. For we have Ten Commandments, all of which we have failed to keep, and for which we deserve, quite rightly, to die eternally.

Our plea to heaven cannot be for justice or even fair treatment by the Law, because that is to ask for Hell. Our cry must be a plea for mercy, for undeserved pardon, for redemption by way of Someone Else’s punishment. Let us learn from those lepers who stood far off and cried out to the Son of God, who would be nailed to the cross for blasphemy He did not commit, who would be raised from death, all for the sake of mercy. Was there ever love like this? Was there ever a reprieve so sweet for criminals so steeped in guilt? Was there ever a God who joined His rebellious creation, and then let them kill Him for their sins, so they could go free? Yes! Mercy is what the lepers requested, and mercy was what He gave. All ten received mercy, a full and perfect reprieve from the guilt of their sin, a fresh washing in grace they did not earn, a healing rescue from certain death. All of them, one for each of the holy commandments of the Law, received mercy.

But, only one—and a foreigner, no less—returned to praise God. He did not simply offer a silent tribute in his mind and heart for a God of mercy and the good things he now knew; the others may well have done that. But this one went back to where he had received mercy. He came and worshiped Jesus, praising Him for the life He had restored, glorifying Him for the mercy He had shown. And in turn, this man received praise from God. Let us learn from that one what faith is and what faith does. Faith receives God’s grace and then comes back for more! It cannot get enough. It is not simply thankful, though it certainly is that. But it is also hungry for more and desires the one thing needful, the one thing that satisfies, the one thing that justifies us by declaring us righteous for the sake of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in our place. Faith wants what God gives: new life, rest, hope, love, peace—all for free.

Jesus needs nothing from us. We need everything from Him. He did not come to be served by us; that is not the Gospel. He came to serve us, to work for us, to buy us back from death, to restore us to health that we might stand in His presence as His beloved Bride, His Church. That is the Gospel: that we would be His and joyfully live forever with Him.

The fire from those holy Ten Commandments has been quenched. Every single demand has been met. Justice has been served and satisfied. You are forgiven, made clean. And you have come to the right place: to the place of mercy where Jesus serves you in the Bread of His Word and the Bread of His Supper. Come at His Word and receive the mercy He gives. 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 8/29/21: Thirteenth Sunday After Trinity

CLICK HERE for the audio file.

CLICK HERE for the video file.

                    

Blessed to See and Hear

Luke 10:23-37

 

 

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

 

 

Why do some believe, while others don’t? Why are some saved, and the others aren’t? How is it that one person receives the Word in faith, while another rejects that same Word? The answer to these questions is a simple one, though it is not entirely satisfying. If we reject God’s Word, it is our own fault; we cannot lay that burden at any door but our own. And if we do believe God’s Word, if we do have the faith in Jesus Christ, it is due solely and completely to the grace of God. And even the very faith itself that holds to the promises of God’s Word is a gift of grace, worked in us by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. Whether or not this answer satisfies anyone’s curiosity, this is the answer.

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” Our salvation consists of seeing and hearing Christ. These disciples, of course, were uniquely blessed in that their seeing and hearing was physical. They saw Jesus for themselves; they could touch Him and know that He was flesh and blood, just like them. Prophets and kings, men of God who had come before, had longed to see and hear what the disciples beheld. And the faith of those patriarchs was no less true; they had just not had the blessing of seeing its fulfillment in Christ.

But there were also those who saw and heard Jesus for whom there was no blessing. There is nothing clearer in the Gospels than the truth that Jesus had proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom for all to see and hear in Him. St. John said: “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” Only faith receives such blessings, and that faith is God’s gift.

Your seeing and hearing is not physical, but nothing is taken from your salvation because of that. You are like those prophets and kings in one sense; your seeing and hearing is not physical, but spiritual. On the other hand, you have God’s complete revelation in Holy Scripture; you know everything that took place for your salvation. As Jesus said to Thomas: “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

The salvation we see and hear is what is shown to us in this parable of the Good Samaritan. We see that man who fell among robbers, who was stripped and beaten and left for dead—and we know that we are that man. That is what sin and Satan do to us. We have no natural defense against them. And Jesus is that Good Samaritan who does not pass us by in our need. Jesus is pure compassion. He binds up our wounds. He carries us with His own strength to this place of refreshment where we receive proper care. He will pay whatever is necessary to make us whole again. Is this not what takes place at the cross? There Jesus, like the Samaritan, was despised and rejected of men. Those without eyes to see and ears to hear the truth saw only a man who was receiving a punishment he seemingly deserved. But with eyes to see and ears to hear, we see the redemption of this world, and we hear the words of a compassion that can only be divine: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

This was what generations of prophets and kings had longed to see and hear. It is what you and I have been given to see and hear. And the place of this seeing and hearing is the Church, which is also why many do not see and hear these things. Jesus is the Good Samaritan; the inn is the Church. As Luther tells us, “Here we have the substance of the Gospel. The kingdom of Christ is a kingdom of mercy and grace in which there is nothing but a continual carrying of the lost. Christ takes our sins upon Himself and has patience when we fail. We still always lay around His neck, and yet He does not become weary of carrying us, which should be the greatest comfort for us when we are in conflict with sin.”

And that brings us back to the question with which we began: “Why are some saved and not others?” Why you or me, and not someone else? The answer is the grace of God, and because that is the answer, we cannot really ask why. God knows why, and that is enough. After all, “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” Grace is the exclusive work of God. And that grace is also promise: once the Lord has you, He will not let you go. That is why you are blessed in your seeing and your hearing. That is why you have eyes to see and ears to hear. That is why you humbly, faithfully, come to receive the true body and blood of Christ, where you see His body broken in death, but now raised to life; you see His blood shed for sin, ever pleading for you before the throne of heavenly grace. And you are blessed in your seeing and your hearing, even unto life that is 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.

HYMN: Into Your Hands, O Lord of Life

I am not Paul Gerhardt or Philipp Nicolai. I do not claim to be, nor do I believe I have that kind of talent. I do, however, have persistent friends who have encouraged me to not be a lazy git while I’m here in this hospital bed with Covid. So here I am. I don’t think I’m in any particular danger or dying, though I might have welcomed that when I was first admitted on Sunday. (I jest, but I was not in good shape.) Still, I don't know what’s ahead for me or for my family, all of whom tested positive.

Again, here I am. Here is my prayer. God is good. The temporary tune is the same as “Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me.” Feedback is love, as are your prayers.

Into Your Hands, O Lord of Life

1. Into Your hands, O Lord of life,

I here commend my flesh and soul.

In deep distress and earthly strife,

Pounded by waves from pier to shoal,

Weakened, I cry, “Deliver me!

In Your great love, oh, set me free.”

2. I have no strength, no, none my own,

Nothing to serve my own defense.

I place my trust in Christ alone,

Raising my prayers like frankincense.

No matter what may come today,

My Lord, keep Satan’s hordes at bay.

3. Lord, as my body quakes in fear,

As I groan out on bended knee,

Be my Defender ever near.

I beg you, Savior, hear my plea.

My Jesus, who knows all my pain,

Shall use it for my good and gain.

4. Savior and King, with every breath,

Grant me to trust Your boundless grace.

Whatever comes, my life or death,

I shall rejoice to see your face.

Whatever You ordain to be

Will be sufficient strength for me.

(c) 2021

88 88 88

RYBURN (LSB 683)

Illness, End of Life; Psalm 31:5