Pentecost
Thanksgiving Day
1 Samuel 7:7-13a NIV
When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. [8] They said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines." [9] Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. [11] The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far has the LORD helped us.’ So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again."
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you on this day of Thanksgiving.
For quite a few years now we have been singing Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing as part of our Thanksgiving service. And every year we sing that line in v. 2, "Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I’ve come." It is kind of a weird line. What in the world is an Ebenezer? The only Ebenezer I know is Ebenezer Scrooge, and that can’t be who the hymn is talking about. Furthermore, even if I did know what an Ebenezer was, why am I singing about raising it?
Well the new hymnal is great in that it recognizes that certain lines in hymns truly are weird and therefore need explaining. So at the bottom of the page of Come Thou Fount there is a nice little note explaining it. The note says, " ‘Ebenezer’ means ‘Thus far has the Lord helped us’ and was the name given to the stone of remembrance that Samuel raised to God’s glory."
My curiosity was peeked. Why did Samuel raise this stone of remembrance? This leads us to I Samuel, chapter 7, as printed in your bulletin, for there in I Samuel is, as Paul Harvey says, "the rest of the story.":
When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel, ‘Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.’ Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel’s behalf, and the LORD answered him.
While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far has the LORD helped us.’ So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again."
What a great piece of Israelite history. The Philistines were a constant cause of concern to the Israelites. They were always disrupting the peace. And they were terrifying. It would be just a generation later that the Philistines would challenge Israel with their great champion Goliath. The threat of Philistine aggression was always a cause of great fear and anxiety for Israel. On this occasion Samuel did his job as judge and acted as intercessor for Israel. The LORD accepted his sacrifice and took care of the advancing Philistine army. This victory accomplished by the LORD’s grace and mercy was so great that Samuel set up a memorial stone. He named it ‘Ebenezer’ which means quite literally "stone of help". And there that stone would stand as a reminder that ‘thus far has the LORD helped us.’ That stone was to stand there to teach generations: It is only by the help of the LORD that we overcome.
It is always important to give thanks because thanksgiving is a way of recognizing the blessings you have received from others and giving credit where credit is due. This story from I Samuel really is an excellent thanksgiving story. The Lord delivered Israel in this miraculous way and Samuel made sure that the Lord received thanks in that very special way of erecting a memorial stone. And I love that the word thanks is not used. Thanks sometimes becomes to general. I like that in this instance the much more specific statement is made, "Thus far by the Lord’s help." When we give thanks that is really what we are saying. We are saying, "We couldn’t have made it this far without you Lord." We are saying, "We wouldn’t have the things we have without you Lord."
St. Paul recognizes this in our Epistle reading when he says he knows the secret of being content in any and every circumstance. He says, "I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me." What St. Paul is saying there is quite simply: Of all the things I have been through, good and bad, ‘Thus far by the Lord’s help.’
In our Gospel reading the Samaritan who is healed of his leprosy runs back to Jesus and praising God in a loud voice he falls at Jesus’ feet and gives him thanks. When the Samaritan does this he is confessing with his whole being in heartfelt fashion, ‘Thus far by the Lord’s help.’
On the way in you all received a rock. Well, since it is Thanksgiving Day your rocks are no longer just rocks. They are your personal Ebenezers. They are your own personal memorials to remind you this day not simply of all the blessings you have been given. But to remind you that all that you are and all that you have, you have ‘Thus far by the Lord’s help.’
Together as a congregation we have much to be thankful for. We constructed and dedicated our new sanctuary. For that we can raise our Ebenezers and say, ‘Thus far by the Lord’s help.’
That construction was made possible by your financial gifts and the financial gifts by many outside of our congregation. For such generosity we raise our Ebenezers and say, ‘Thus far by the Lord’s help.’
As a congregation you are blessed with committed leaders who work tirelessly to serve you and the ministry of Christ in this place. For such leaders we raise our Ebenezers and say, ‘Thus far by the Lord’s help.’
Last week we welcomed four new families into our fellowship at Lamb of God. There are other families who will be joining soon. For the blessings that all of them bring to our fellowship we raise our Ebenezers and say, ‘Thus far by the Lord’s help.’
Everyday we are privileged to live in a country where we can freely worship our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And it is not just that our country allows for the freedom of religion. We are blessed to live in a country where such freedom is a foundational and guiding principle which furthers the cause of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The guarantee of such freedom means that the means of God’s grace: His Holy Word, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are always available to you. You do not need search for secret meetings and hidden societies in order to find your Savior Jesus Christ. All over this great country, out in the open, with great freedom the love of Christ is proclaimed and offered through Word and Sacrament. For this great freedom we raise our Ebenezers and say, ‘Thus far by the Lord’s help.’
On and on we could go this morning. On and on we could go because the blessings we have through Christ Jesus are endless. However, turkeys need to be cooked and pies need to be baked. But my prayer for you this day is that as you gather this day to feast in celebration of all that God in Christ has blessed you with I hope you will pause to go around the table and one at a time name something you are thankful for, then raise your Ebenezer and say, ‘Thus far by the Lord’s help.’
Now that we understand v. 2 of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing let us conclude by singing it with a richer and deeper sense of devotion to Christ who is our help.
Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand’ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.
Amen.
The Last Sunday In the Church Year
Matthew 25:31-46 ESV
[31] "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. [32] Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. [34] Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, [36] I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' [37] Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? [38] And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? [39] And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' [40] And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
[41] "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' [44] Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or nakedor sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' [45] Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' [46] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this Last Sunday of the Church Year is the Gospel lesson recorded in the 25th chapter of St. Matthew.
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away?" is the question that all three parables of Matthew 25 are answering. The first, ‘The Parable of the Ten Virgins’ answered the question by teaching that the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away is the one who keeps watch and is ready for His return. The second, ‘The Parable of the Talents’ answered the question by teaching that the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away is the one who puts his gifts to use for the kingdom of heaven.
This morning our Gospel reading is the third and final parable of Matthew 25, ‘The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.’ Once again the question before us as we study this parable is, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away?"
We are told that when Jesus Christ returns all the nations of the earth will be gathered before him. The description ‘all nations’ is a very succinct way of saying that no one will escape the judgment. Everyone will stand before Jesus Christ in order to be judged. And as all the people of the world stand before Jesus he will separate them. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on the left.
Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe returned in all his glory, then addresses each of these groups in turn. First, he speaks to the sheep on his right. He tells them, "Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And then he says why, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."
Next, he speaks to the goats on his left. He tells them, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me."
Both the sheep and the goats have a chance to respond to Jesus Christ. Interestingly enough the response of both is the same. Neither the sheep nor the goats have any clue that they have done anything or not done anything to Jesus. They both say, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty," and so on. The sheep have no idea that they have done anything good. The goats have no idea that they have done anything bad.
Jesus clears it up for both. For the sheep, he explains, "Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." For the goats, he explains, "Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of these least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
This parable, much like, ‘The Parable of the Talents’ last week, can easily sound like we need to earn our way to heaven. When one first hears this parable it sounds very simple: The sheep get to go to heaven because they did good things for Jesus. The goats go to hell because they didn’t do anything for Jesus. The only problem is that if one was trying to earn their way to heaven they would have been keeping track. The sheep didn’t even consider that the good they were doing would count for anything. Hence, why they respond, "Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty, etc." The goats didn’t even consider that what they were not doing would count against them. Hence, why they respond, "Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty, etc."
The key to understanding this judgment scene lies in the simple one word description of the sheep when they respond to Jesus’ judgment. The sheep are described as the righteous. The goats aren’t called anything but goats and somewhat coldly ‘those on the left.’ But the sheep are given this special designation as the ‘righteous.’ It is because they are righteous that they have been placed on Jesus’ right hand. It is because they are righteous that they are being welcomed into the eternal kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world.
So how does one become righteous? That is a question we can answer very clearly and with great certainty. From Romans, chapter 3, "No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law . . . but now a righteousness from God, apart from law has been made known . . . This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." And from Ephesians, chapter 2, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."
The righteous on Jesus right hand at the Judgment Day are there because they have been made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. And the reason they have been made righteous through Jesus Christ is so that they may do good works. The passage from Ephesians I just quoted goes on to explain this truth, "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." But the righteous don’t want to have anything to do with those good works on the Judgment Day. The reason is because their faith clings to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. They have fixed their eyes on Jesus, the author and completer of their faith. They want nothing else. They need nothing else. It is Jesus who brings up what they have done—not them.
This parable describing the Judgment Day is not at all about what you have done or not done to get into heaven. This parable describing the Judgment Day is all about what Jesus chooses to see. For the righteous that is for those who have faith in Jesus Christ, Jesus chooses to see only the good that they have done. For the goats that is for those who have no faith in Jesus Christ, Jesus chooses to see what they have left undone. Surviving the judgment day is all about what Jesus has done for you—clothed you with his righteousness through faith.
Now it is time to pull it all together. The question has been, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away?"
In ‘The Parable of the Ten Virgins’ the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away is the one who is prepared and keeps watch for Jesus’ return.
In ‘The Parable of the Talents’ the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away is the one who puts his gifts to use for the kingdom of heaven.
In ‘The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats’ the faithful wise servant while Jesus is away is the one who will separated on Jesus’ right when he returns.
Putting all three together we can say something like this: Who then is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away? The faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away is the one puts his gifts to use for the kingdom of heaven while eagerly watching for Jesus’ return. And when Jesus returns Jesus will say to him, "Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Amen.
The Twenty-seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 25:14-30 ESV
[14] "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. [15] To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. [16] He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. [17] So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. [18] But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. [19] Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. [20] And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' [21] His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' [22] And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' [23] His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' [24] He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, [25] so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' [26] But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? [27] Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. [28] So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. [29] For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [30] And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this 27th Sunday after Pentecost is the Gospel lesson recorded in the 25th chapter of St. Matthew.
Our text takes place during Holy Week as Jesus and his disciples are walking around the temple courts. As they are all taking in the beauty of these buildings Jesus predicts their destruction. Later, as Jesus and the disciples are gathered together on the Mount of Olives, with the city of Jerusalem and the glorious Temple Mount as the backdrop, the disciples ask Jesus, "When will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?"
As Jesus describes how things will be in the end he makes it clear no one knows when these things will happen. He states very clearly, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only . . . The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
Jesus’ description of how things will be, in the end are somewhat terrifying. He describes terrible natural disasters along with persecution and false prophets pointing people to a false Christ. It is terrifying. And after hearing it all perhaps Jesus’ disciples were looking a little unsettled. Perhaps they had begun to wonder if they had what it took to make it through to the end. After all they were going to have face these things without Jesus physically right there with them. Perhaps you too wonder some times if you have what it takes to make it through to the end. Perhaps you wonder if you will stand firm all the way to the end.
Jesus, perhaps sensing the uneasiness in the face of the terrible things yet to come, moves the conversation in a different direction by use of a rhetorical question. He asks, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household to give them their food at the proper time?" Jesus then tells a series of parables that all address the question of, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant?" Or more specifically, "Who then is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away?"
Last week our Gospel reading was ‘The Parable of the Ten Virgins’. In that story there were five foolish virgins and five wise virgins. The wise virgins were ready and prepared for the Bridegroom when he arrived because they had brought extra oil for their lamps. Who then is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away? The one who watches and is prepared because one does not know the day or the hour when Jesus will return.
The next parable is our text for today, ‘The Parable of the Talents.’ And the one that follows after ‘The Parable of the Talents’ is ‘The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.’ These also answer the question, ‘Who is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away?’ Our Gospel reading next week is ‘The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats’ so we will wait until next week to see how that one answers the question.
For the remainder of our time this morning we will look at how ‘The Parable of the Talents’ answers the question, ‘Who then is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away?’
Our text begins, "For it will be like . . ." The ‘it’ is the kingdom of heaven. And the kingdom of heaven is the business of God winning back sinful humanity through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. When Jesus says, "the kingdom of heaven is like. . ." He is really saying, "I am like. . ." So Jesus is like a man who went on a journey, called his servants to him and entrusted to them his property. And this is precisely what Jesus has done. Jesus has ascended into heaven to the right hand of God. But as he was leaving he entrusted to his servants, that is the church, his property.
In the parable the man going on the journey gave each of his servants a certain amount of money, each according to his ability. So also Jesus has given each of you his servants certain gifts, each according to your ability. In the parable one received 5 talents, another 2, and another only 1. But the amount doesn’t matter. And the specific type of gift is also really irrelevant. The reason is because the one who gives the gifts is the same: Jesus Christ who died and rose for you. St. Paul put it this way, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men."
So far, so good. Jesus ascended into heaven and gave his church a variety of gifts to accomplish the mission of spreading the Gospel. But now is where we as Lutherans really begin to struggle with this parable. The man comes back and takes an accounting. What? I thought we were saved by grace not by our works. Yet this man wants to see what they have done. The man given five earns five more. The man given two earns two more. And to each of them the master says, "Well, done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." The man given one buried his in the dirt because he was scared of the master. He earned no return on his gift. And so the master says to him, "You wicked and slothful servant! . . . Take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. . . And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Again the man is Jesus. When Jesus returns, according to this part of the story, he will want to see what you have done with your gifts. How have you used them? What have you done with what Jesus Christ has given you? And the answer is that if you have been faithful you will enter into the joy of your master. If you have been faithless you will be thrown into the darkness of hell.
Before you get too hung-up on the fact this looks like you really do have to earn your way to heaven after all remember the question this parable is answering: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away?" The faithful and wise servant is the one who puts his gifts to use for the kingdom of heaven. Add to that the lesson of The Parable of the Ten Virgins and we could say: The faithful and wise servant is the one who puts his gifts to use for the kingdom of heaven while eagerly watching for the return of the master, Jesus Christ.
So often we seek to create a sharp division between faith and works to make it clear that we are not saved by our works. While we certainly are not saved by our works that sharp division is not always helpful. This parable is a strong reminder of the close relationship between faith in Jesus Christ and doing good works. This parable illustrates with strong picture language what Jesus’ brother James puts so bluntly: Faith without works is dead.
If you believe you will do good. Yes, you are going to screw up. But you are going to do good. Yes, you are going to sin. But you are going to do good. And when you screw up and when you sin Jesus is there to forgive you. Of all the gifts that Jesus has given to his church this gift of forgiveness is the greatest. It is that forgiveness apprehended by faith that frees you to try again and again putting those gifts to work for the kingdom. Notice in the parable that the first two servants didn’t worry about screwing up. They didn’t worry about screwing up because they had faith that their master was gracious and merciful. The third servant was scared to even try because he had no faith. No faith that his master was gracious and merciful.
So you believe in Jesus Christ—good. You believe that Jesus Christ is merciful and forgiving—even better. Then get out there, and put your gifts to work, for as Martin Luther said, "Faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing and so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. Faith does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question arises it has already done them and is always at the doing of them."
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant while Jesus is away?" The faithful and wise servant is the one who puts his gifts to use for the kingdom of heaven while eagerly watching for the return of the master, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Twenty-sixth Sunday After Pentecost
Responsible Christian Stewardship
II Corinthians 9:6-8 NIV
[6] Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. [7] Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to make all grace abound in you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
As we come to the end of 2008 and head into 2009 it is time to talk about responsible Christian Stewardship. Now before you begin screaming and running like thousands of Japanese from Godzilla I promise you it won’t be so bad.
First, our text from the Word of God that will offer us some gracious wisdom on the proper way to manage what God in his grace has bestowed upon you. St. Paul writes in II Corinthians, chapter 9, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
I love this text because it sort of serves as a strong rebuke for what constitutes most stewardship sermons. Stewardship sermons in general are guilt trips. Guilt trips to get you to volunteer more at church with your time and your talents. And of course guilt trips to get you to give more money. What St. Paul commends here is anything but a guilt trip. He leaves it up to you, the individual Christian to decide. And he makes it clear why it is your choice, why what you give should be done according to your freedom in Christ: It is your choice because when you give according to your freedom in Christ it is done cheerfully. And God loves a cheerful giver. God doesn’t like it when people give reluctantly—because reluctance shows a lack of faith. And God doesn’t like it when people give under compulsion because then it is not done in response to His mercy and grace.
Our text concludes with St. Paul telling us how we give cheerfully: Through God who makes all grace abound to you, making sure you always have what you need. Giving cheerfully begins and ends with what God has done for you through his grace in Jesus Christ. Our attitude toward giving which leads to our actual giving is a Christian act of devotion which takes a serious, long look at all that God in Christ has done for me.
Now this being the case you may wonder then where we get off sending you a stewardship letter asking you to give money to the church or asking you to volunteer. Well, it is simple really. You are a member of this congregation. And here is what being a member of this congregation means: It means in your freedom you have decided to exercise your faith in this place that gathers under the name of Lamb of God. In your freedom you have said, "I want to be part of the kingdom of God in this place and support it."
Now as you consider what you give to the church there are two ways to do it. The first way is not the best way but sometimes becomes a practical necessity. The second way is the best way because it is the scriptural way.
The first way is for you to consider the budget and give towards it. And the reason such things as giving towards the budget become a practical necessity is because the bills need to get paid. And we are feeling that practical necessity a little bit. If you pay attention to the numbers you will notice that we are about $5,000 in the hole for the year. In proper perspective that isn’t that bad. It isn’t that bad because in the process you completed a separate capital campaign with a goal of $350,000. And you stuck to it and reached that goal. That is truly a blessing. But now I would ask that as we have closed on the loan and the monthly note has become larger that we refocus our efforts toward the support of the general ministry of the congregation as we head to the end of 2008.
Again, the first way of giving is a sometimes needed practical necessity. And that has become the case at the conclusion of this year. But as we head into 2009, however, and you consider your pledge I would hope that you consider your pledge according to the second way, the scriptural way. And that is not to look at the needs of the congregation and meet the needs, but rather look at all that God has given you in Christ, both in spiritual blessings and material wealth and give a percentage of that to the work of His kingdom in this place.
I realize many of you are not accustomed to percentage giving. But it is a good practice because it is a practice that imitates the scriptural concept of first-fruits. And the concept is simple: God gave you all you have so as you respond to his grace you do not give him thoughtless leftovers but thoughtful firsts. In other words your offering should be the first check you write not the last. The story of Cain and Abel is a story of first-fruits. Abel gave the best of his flock in thanksgiving to God. Cain gave the leftovers. God was happy with Abel. He was displeased with Cain. Cain should have repented of course and done better next time—instead he chose to eliminate the competition and killed Abel instead.
As you sit down to figure your pledge here is why giving a percentage is important: First, percentage giving is first-fruits giving. Therefore percentage giving is not giving God your leftovers but rather is a direct response to God’s grace. Second, percentage giving is giving from what you have, not what you do NOT have. So, if you take a pay cut—you redo the math. If you get a raise—you redo the math. God does not ask you to give from what he has not given you.
Now, what percentage? Do I base the percentage off of my gross income or my adjusted income? Brothers and sisters in Christ we are talking about what you choose to do in your freedom in Christ. You decide. Whether it is gross or adjusted it is still a percentage.
The challenge that I would like to put before you is the challenge of growing that percentage over the next five years. And the reason is simple: As your pastor it is my job to encourage you to grow in your response to God’s grace in your life. So, here is the challenge if you need a starting point: I would like you to consider giving 6% this year. And then growing that percentage, one percentage point at a time over the next five years until you get to 10%. For those of you who already give 10% the challenge is to give 11%. But that extra 1% would go to support a broader Lutheran ministry like the work of the Lutheran Laymen’s League or Lutheran Women’s Missionary League or Lutheran World Relief or a whole host of other Lutheran agencies. And then the challenge would be to see if you could grow beyond even 11%.
As an example of that giving, to show it can be done, I would like you to consider your practice as a congregation. As a congregation your first-fruits commitment to support the work of your church body, The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, is 10% of all general offerings received. In addition to that, you as a congregation also give an additional 5% of all general offerings to 2 missions of your choosing annually. This year that 5% is going to support Rebekah House a missionary in Taiwan and to continue to support Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sora, Panama. You give 15% of all your offerings to support ministries outside of this congregation. Brothers and sisters in Christ that is an awesome commitment! And I applaud your faithfulness to it.
The pledge cards and letters have been mailed out. They are in your hand. Take the time. Consider the grace of God in your life and respond with a percentage of that income to put to work for the building up of his kingdom. And over the next five years I will encourage you to grow in that response to all that God in Christ has done for you.
And just to show you how great that response to God’s grace can be I share with you the ‘The 50% League’. "The 50% League is an Arlington-based group of people who contribute at least half their income, business profits, or net worth to charity." 50%! Are these people crazy? Crazy full of God’s grace, "so that in all things at all times having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
Rejoice in the Lord always! And blessings to you as you decide in your heart what to give. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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All Saints’ Day
Psalm 149:4, 5 NIV
[4] For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.
[5] Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this ‘All Saint’s Day’ is the following verses from Psalm 149, "For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds."
When I was playing tennis this past Friday morning some of the guys I play with were commenting how they played in a charity golf tournament the weekend before. The golf tournament was called "Savannah Smiles." This charity was set up in memory of Savannah, one of the daughters of one of the men we play tennis with who died at a Slidell Mardi Gras parade two years ago.
Today we celebrate All Saints’ Day. It is a day in which we think about honoring those who have died in the faith. As I listened and learned about the "Savannah Smiles" charity golf tournament I thought what an appropriate way to honor a young girl who died so young and unexpectedly.
But, of course, there are some inappropriate ways to honor the dead as well. One can go too far in their efforts to try and remember the dead. And so there is a danger that our grief and guilt over a lost loved one can lead us into idolatry. So as we celebrate this All Saints’ Day, remembering those who have died in the faith, I thought it would be good to talk about the appropriate and inappropriate ways in which we give honor to them.
As we begin thinking on this subject I would like to point out how this subject of honoring the dead ties in with our subject last week: Christ alone gets the credit because Christ alone has won our salvation. If we understand the proper place of Christ in our hearts and minds, then that will lead us to the proper ways of honoring those who have died in Christ who are awaiting the resurrection of the dead.
Martin Luther and the Reformers offer great wisdom in the Book of Concord regarding the proper way to honor the saints. And that wisdom flows out of the great truth regarding Christ alone as the one who has saved us. First, the reformers dealt with the inappropriate ways of honoring the dead. And this was no easy task because the people had become so accustomed to these practices. At the time of the Reformation it was very common to look to dead saints and in some cases even close relatives to seek spiritual favor. First, they would pray to the dead seeking favor from them. Second, they would push that a step further by seeking forgiveness from these saints. Thus, the church had turned dead saints (at least the really good ones) into both intercessors and mediators of redemption. One, quite frankly, didn’t need Jesus anymore. You could just go to the saints and they could take care of business for you.
The Reformers do a great job of explaining why this practice of praying to the saints and looking to them for forgiveness is wrong or at the least not necessary. It really is very simple: There is not one passage in the whole Bible that tells us to pray to dead saints. There is not one passage in the whole Bible that tells us dead saints can even hear us. There is not one passage in the whole Bible that tells us dead saints can perform favors for us. There is not one passage in the whole Bible that tells dead saints even want us bothering them with our requests. So, at the least there can be no certainty about this practice. You cannot be certain because God has not attached one promise, not one Word of God regarding praying to the dead.
But here’s the good news. There are passages in the Bible where God bids us to call on him in prayer. There are passages in the Bible where Jesus asks us to pray to him for everything and that he will hear us and answer us. The Bible is full of promises regarding praying to God through Jesus Christ. Here are a few: From Psalm 50, "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." And from the Gospel of John, from the mouth of Jesus, "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
The same test applies to looking to dead saints regarding their ability to forgive sins and offer salvation. First, there should be a Word of God from which we know with certainty that God wants to have mercy upon you through this person. And second, the person through whom God wants to have mercy upon you must have God’s approval. Again there are no passages in the Bible that give such power to dead saints. The only name given in the Scriptures that has the approval of God the Father to pay for your sin and grant you forgiveness is the name of His Son Jesus Christ. Only Jesus. It is only through Jesus that God shows you mercy and grants you forgiveness. And this we know from the Word of God, as St. Peter proclaimed, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
In our text from the Psalms this morning we are told that the Lord takes delight in those whom he has saved. Those whom he has saved we call ‘saints.’ If the Lord takes delight in his saints then certainly we also should be able to take delight in them. And this is where I truly love the wisdom of the Lutheran reformers. As they set about the task of reforming they did not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Yes, they showed that praying to saints and seeking salvation from them is wrong, but nonetheless they spoke very clearly regarding the proper way to honor those whom God has saved—the saints.
The reformers then spoke of three ways in which it is proper to honor the saints who have died and are awaiting the resurrection day. The first God-pleasing way to honor the saints is thanksgiving. And that thanksgiving is simple: We thank God for making that person a saint by saving them through Jesus Christ. And we also thank God because in his mercy he blessed that saint with gifts exercised for the benefit of his people.
The second God-pleasing way to honor the saints is toward the strengthening of faith. When we honestly study the lives of saints we discover that they weren’t always so saintly—and yet God in his mercy forgave them on account of Christ. When we see the saints who have gone before us forgiven in this way it strengthens our faith to know that God’s grace truly is an inexhaustible fountain.
And the third God-pleasing way to honor the saints is imitation. And that imitation is two-fold: First, in imitation of their faith. Faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Second, imitation of their other virtues which people imitate according to their callings.
So, on this All Saints’ Day, we give God thanks for all of those departed brothers and sisters who have been saved by Christ Jesus. And as you think of them may you your faith be strengthened by the truth that as Christ forgave them so Christ also forgives you. And as you move out into your callings may you indeed be blessed to imitate their faith in Christ and also their life in Christ.
For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Amen
Reformation
Romans 3:19-28 ESV
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. [20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
[21] But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— [22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. [26] It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
[27] Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. [28] For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this Reformation Sunday is the epistle reading recorded in the third chapter of Romans.
A movie was recently released with the title Flash of Genius. The movie is the true story of Dr. Robert Kearns a college professor in Detroit who invents the intermittent windshield wiper. Dr. Kearns patented his invention and then went to the Ford Motor Company to pitch his idea. An idea that Ford itself had been working on but had no solution. Ford liked the invention but Dr. Kearns and Ford were never able to come to a licensing agreement. Unfortunately, however, Kearns had given Ford a prototype. They didn’t need Kearns anymore. They had his invention.
A short time later Dr. Kearns is at the Ford Expo where they are unveiling their latest model of the Ford Mustang. The newest feature of the car: The intermittent windshield wiper. Kearns is horrified to see that his invention has been stolen. He speaks out, causing a disturbance, and is escorted out of the building. He is appalled to see that his brilliant idea has been stolen from him. Ford was taking credit for his invention. And, of course, reaping the financial benefits.
Kearns proceeds to sue Ford for their patent infringement. At one point in the movie Ford offers Kearns a 30 million dollar settlement. Kearns refuses the offer because Ford will not admit that the invention is Kearns’. Kearns is a man of principle. He wants Ford to admit they were wrong. He wants Ford to admit that it was not their invention. He wants credit for what rightfully belongs to him.
When we hear of a story like this I think we readily relate to it because most of us hate the idea of someone taking credit for something that is not theirs. Nobody has to tell us this is wrong. We innately know that such a thing is wrong. It is cheating, lying and stealing all wrapped up together. When we see someone taken advantage of in that way, we tend to rally to their cause because we want to see them win in the end. A person like Dr. Kearns we can cheer on because we want him to have justice.
If you have understood Dr. Kearns’ story you now also understand the medieval Roman Catholic understanding of salvation. In the middle ages the predominating view of salvation was that you must earn it. You must work for it. God will give you grace to be sure. But, you must do something. There were a variety of schemes for how it worked—but regardless of the scheme God’s grace wasn’t enough. You were responsible, whether great or small, for securing your salvation. The phrase was something like, "just do the good that is in you." And if you did that you would be saved. The theologians taught it, the preachers preached it and the people believed it.
The problem with this view of salvation is that it is contrary to what the Word of God teaches. Our text from Romans makes it clear: You cannot earn your salvation by doing good things. St. Paul puts it this way, "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in [God’s] sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." Paul further states, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
These are incredibly damning statements. There is nothing you can do to earn your salvation. Nothing. There is too much sin mixed in with the good so before God it adds up to nothing. According to what you do—you are damned.
But there is hope because there is another way of salvation. A salvation that will succeed because it is not based on our good works. St. Paul describes this salvation, "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe . . . justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Salvation is possible. But it is not your doing—it is Christ Jesus who has done it. In Dr. Kearns’ story Ford was taking credit for an invention that was not theirs. In the Middle Ages generation after generation was taught to take credit for a salvation that was not theirs. Dr. Kearns was grieved when Ford showed off his invention as if it was their own. How Jesus Christ must be grieved when people take credit for what he accomplished through the shedding of his own blood.
If you have understood Dr. Kearns’ story you now also understand the Reformation. Dr. Kearns story is a story of the fight for the truth: Dr. Kearns invented the intermittent windshield wiper not Ford. The story of the Reformation is the story of a fight for the truth: Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone has won salvation for you, you have not, indeed you cannot, save yourself.
If you want to cheer on a guy like Dr. Kearns and his fight for the truth, then you will certainly also want to cheer on Dr. Martin Luther and his fight for the truth. If you don’t like people taking credit for what is not their own then you will not only want to cheer Martin Luther on you will want to join in the fight to proclaim Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone as the way of salvation.
And you are needed. For the Reformation is never over. There will always be those who seek to earn their salvation. There will always be those who teach that Jesus is not enough and therefore you must do something. There will always be that struggle in the heart of every Christian to want to boast about how good they are and therefore expect something in return. Against all of this we are to preach Jesus. Nothing more nothing less.
In Dr. Kearns’ fight for the truth he had to fight Ford Motor Company. A company with endless time and financial resources. Yet in the end Dr. Kearns, a huge underdog, a college professor inventing in his basement, had his day in court and won.
In Martin Luther’s fight for the truth he had to fight the most powerful institution of his day: The papacy and the Roman curia. In addition he also had to stand before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. In addition to that he had the struggle against his own sinful flesh and the temptations of the Devil. Yet in the end Martin Luther had his day in court. The city was Worms. The year 1521. Martin Luther made his stand. He would not recant. Jesus Christ is the way of salvation. Period. Martin Luther, a huge underdog, a monk from a hick-town in Germany, had his day in court: And Jesus won.
Paul exhorts us at the end of our text not to boast in our works. The reason is because we are not saved by them but by Jesus. But elsewhere in the Scriptures Paul does exhort us to boast, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
And we boast in the Lord Jesus because he is the one who has won for us life and salvation. We boast in the Lord Jesus because he is the one who has paid the price for all of our sin and wickedness. We boast in the Lord Jesus because through him we live and move and have our being. We boast in the Lord Jesus for in him and through him all blessings in heaven and on earth have been given to us.
St. Peter gave this boast about Jesus, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." No other name. Not my name. Not your name. Only Jesus. Your salvation is his work. "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
Philippians 3:4b.-14 ESV
If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: [5] circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; [6] as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless. [7] But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. [8] Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— [10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
[12] Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. [13] Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this 21st Sunday after Pentecost is the Epistle reading recorded in the 3rd chapter of Philippians.
As we begin our thoughts on this text this morning I would like you to put in your mind your three greatest spiritual achievements. I want you to think of the three good works in your life up until now of which you are most proud. Jot them down on the back of your bulletin if you have to in order to remember them.
Leading into our text from Philippians chapter three Paul has written about a major problem facing the church. There were people in the church that didn’t think faith alone in Jesus Christ was enough for salvation. They believed in Jesus, to be sure, but they felt they need to have a little something extra. So they were insisting that salvation was a combination of factors: ‘Faith in Jesus’ plus ‘the covenant of circumcision’. Or in a more general sense salvation was ‘faith in Jesus’ plus ‘living according to all of the Jewish regulations’. The ultimate commitment to that life of good works according to the law of the Jews was to be circumcised.
It is this salvation through a combination of faith and good works that Paul is trying to counter. We so often talk about sin and its awful consequences. Sin is the problem. Sin is what leads us to damnation. Sin is what robs us of our salvation. Paul reminds us here in Philippians chapter three that our good works can get us in to trouble too. Our good works get us in to trouble because we begin to trust in them, put our faith in them alongside of Jesus. And that becomes the slippery slope to eventually leaving Jesus out all together and trusting only in our works. What I have done becomes more important than what Jesus has done.
St. Paul counters this dangerous problem with a little rhetorical game of ‘my good works are better than your good works.’ What St. Paul is doing here is saying, "Hey, if you think you are so perfect, if you think you have what it takes to earn your salvation, let’s compare resumes. Let’s compare our resumes of good works—and I guarantee you, you are going to lose." And then St. Paul lists his resume for a being a very pious Jew: "circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless."
No Gentile convert to Christianity, who had also been convinced to be circumcised, could measure up against such credentials. Sure they had been circumcised but Paul had been circumcised on the eighth day according to the Law of Moses. And whether they were circumcised or not they would still always be second-class citizens because they were Gentiles. Paul however was a Jew with the credentials to prove it. But the Gentiles are not alone. Most Jews couldn’t even measure up to such a high standard of holy living either. Paul wasn’t just a Pharisee. He was a zealous Pharisee to the point of hunting down Christians and eliminating them.
Before I explain where St. Paul is leading us in this little game of ‘my good works are better than your good works’ I want to let you play. At the beginning of the sermon I had you jot down your three greatest spiritual achievements, your three greatest good works. Take a look at that list and compare it with St. Paul’s. How do you measure up? There are several possible reactions: Some of you may think your list is actually better than St. Paul’s. If so kudos to you. Others of you may have just realized how small your spiritual achievements are in light of St. Paul’s own spiritual achievements and so have had your bubble burst.
Whether you think you are better than St. Paul or have just discovered you are not so hot when it comes to your resume of good works is really irrelevant in light of where St. Paul is leading us this morning. You see, St. Paul didn’t engage in this little game of ‘my good works are better than your good works’ in order to show off. He didn’t even do it to humble those who aren’t as good as he is. He did it to show that no matter how good you are it doesn’t mean squat in the face of Jesus Christ and his resume of good works.
After St. Paul lists his resume of spiritual achievement here is what he does with it: Three times, with growing intensity, he says it to be clear: First, "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ." Second, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Third, "I count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ." That word rubbish really should be a little stronger. The word really means ‘dung’. And so St. Paul considers his own quite impressive good works to be loss more than that to be a repulsive, stinking pile of dung in the face of Jesus Christ and His impressive good works.
St. Paul has understood: the resume of Christ’s spiritual achievements is so complete, so perfect, so wonderful that nothing compares to it. To even try is not just arrogant it is simply foolish. It is simply foolish because Christ wishes to take His resume of spiritual achievements and give them to you. He wants his resume to be yours. And it can be yours—it is yours through faith in him. Why on the judgment day would you want to put your own works on the table before your holy God when Jesus is giving you His? Why on the judgment day would you want to put your own pile of dung on the table before your holy God when He has given you His perfect Son Jesus Christ instead?
When you put it the way that St. Paul has for us this morning the answer to those questions has to be ‘No, you wouldn’t.’ No, you wouldn’t want to put anything next to Jesus Christ. A pile of dung next to the resurrected Jesus Christ shining forth in dazzling glory would simply not look right. Jesus alone—that is what works. That is what will look right on the judgment day. We should share St. Paul’s faith that considers all that we do loss and dung because we want to be found in Christ Jesus, "not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ."
St. Paul concludes our text for this morning by dealing with his good works this way: "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead." I think often we think of forgetting in the context of sin and forgiveness. We try to forget the past wrongs we have done through the forgiveness of Jesus and move on. That is certainly true. But today the forgetting being suggested is of a different kind. Today, the Word of God suggests that you also forget the good that you have done. Forget your resume of good works—lest they become a temptation for you to spiritual pride. If you still have your list in front of you: draw a cross through them. Forget your good works that now lie behind the cross. And press on to what lies ahead of the cross: Your living Savior Jesus and all his good works: Nothing compares to His love, Nothing compares to His forgiveness, nothing compares to His mercy, nothing compares to His compassion. All of these ‘good works’ for you. All of these ‘good works’ on your behalf. All of these ‘good works’ for your salvation. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. Amen.
The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 21:23-32 ESV
And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" [24] Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. [25] The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' [26] But if we say, 'From man,' we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet." [27] So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
[28] "What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' [29] And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went. [30] And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go. [31] Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. [32] For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this 20th Sunday after Pentecost is the Gospel lesson recorded in the 21st chapter of St. Matthew.
Our text for this morning revolves around the idea of ‘authority,’ particularly the authority of Jesus. The Biblical use of this word authority carries with it two main ideas: First, authority primarily means "the power that decides." Second, when authority is used in connection with God it means that nothing takes place apart from God’s power to decide.
It is this authority of Jesus that the chief priests and elders of the people are challenging. They want to know who gave Jesus the authority to do "these things." For it is "these things" that Jesus has been doing that have the chief priests and elders of the people more than a little bent out of shape.
In the immediate context "these things" that had these spiritual leaders so upset would be the events of the preceding day, the day that we know as Palm Sunday. On that day Jesus had come riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated as the Messiah himself. The people shouted aloud, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Once he had arrived in Jerusalem he immediately had gone into the temple courts and turned over the tables of the money-changers and those buying and selling sacrificial animals and then gave the stern rebuke, "It is written, ‘my house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’" Then the lame and the blind came to Jesus and he healed them. And again the people shouted aloud, "Hosanna to the Son of David." The chief priests and elders of the people were indignant: How dare Jesus let these people proclaim him to be the Messiah. Jesus had made quite an entrance. Trouble was sure to follow.
You would think that with the ruckus Jesus had caused he might have decided to lay low the next day. But he didn’t. He went right back to the temple courts and began to teach. And thus comes the challenge of the chief priests and elders of the people: By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?
The truth is, however, that ‘these things’ refers to more than just the day before. The chief priests and elders of the people had been bothered by Jesus from the beginning. They weren’t just interested in ‘yesterday’. They wanted to know who gave Jesus authority to do all the things he had been doing and saying. They had problems with Jesus on all fronts from the very beginning: His teaching, His healing, His forgiving of sins. None of it sat well with them. And the reason is simple: They were the ones who were supposed to have such authority, not Jesus. They held the exalted titles of ‘chief priest’ and ‘elder of the people.’ They had been vested with authority, which meant they were to decide. Not Jesus.
Jesus agrees to answer their question but only if they can answer his question regarding where John’s baptism came from, God or man. This is an authority question that cuts to the heart of the matter. If John’s baptism is from God the leaders of Israel should have believed John. And believing John would mean believing that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Believing John would mean repenting and believing that the kingdom of God was near in Jesus. So, if the chief priests and elders of the people had understood, had believed John’s baptism was from God they would also know by what authority Jesus was doing "these things."
As it happens the chief priests and elders of the people see the trap. They can’t say John’s baptism is from God. It would bring too much shame and embarrassment upon them. Of course they can’t say it was from man either because the people loved John and thought of him as a prophet. It would be political suicide to go against popular opinion. So they say they do not know the answer. And so Jesus refuses to answer their question. No grace here. For grace only comes through faith. And the chief priests and elders of the people have no faith in Jesus as the Christ of God, the Savior of the World.
Jesus then moves on to tell a parable that is directly connected to this discussion on authority. The authority figure in the parable is the father. A father has authority to decide what his children are going to do. The parable turns on the response of his two sons to the authoritative decision of the father to have them work in the vineyard that day.
The first son says, "No." The second son says, "Yes." Neither are men of their word. For the first son said no but then goes to work anyway. The second son says yes and never bothers to show. Then comes the question from Jesus, "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" The chief priests and elders of the people get the answer correct: The first son. The first son, the son who said ‘No’, repents and obeys the authority of the father. This is exactly what the tax collectors and prostitutes of Israel were doing as well as a few gentiles along the way. They were the ones who heeded John the Baptist’s call to repentance and were baptized. They were the ones who were putting their faith in Jesus. They were the ones who had faith and therefore knew where Jesus’ authority came from. And so they followed him. The chief priests and elders of the people said ‘Yes’ with their mouths, but their hearts were from God in Christ Jesus. Thus it was that the tax collectors and prostitutes were going into the kingdom ahead of the chief priests and the elders of the people.
This entire discussion regarding the authority of Jesus begs the question for you: Who has the authority to decide in your life: Is it you? Is it someone else? Or is it Jesus?
Before you answer, consider one more text concerning the authority of Jesus Christ. They are Jesus last words in the Gospel of Matthew: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And lo I am with you always to the very end of the age."
Jesus has all of this authority. Jesus is Son of God and Son of Man and so the authority of both heaven and earth are His. All of this power to decide. And this is what he does with it: He makes disciples through baptizing and teaching. That is to say he decides to be gracious. And thus by deciding to be gracious to you he makes disciples of grace. He calls people into his grace and transforms them into gracious people.
Jesus has all of this authority. All of this power to decide. He could have been vengeful. He could have exercised his power to judge and destroy. But he does not. Not yet anyway. Now is the time of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, with all His authority to decide, decides to love. To love, even the most unlovable. To forgive, even the most unforgivable.
Yes, God in Christ has been given the power to decide your salvation. And the decision is clear:
"Loud and long the Master calleth; Rich reward He offers thee.
Who will answer, gladly saying, "Here am I, send me, send me"?
Your Savior Jesus hopes it is you. Amen.
The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 55:6-9 ESV
"Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
[7] let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
[8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this 19th Sunday after Pentecost is the Gospel lesson recorded in the 20th chapter of St. Matthew.
When one views this parable of Jesus from a worldly perspective I have to tell you most people go nuts. They go nuts because it totally messes with our since of fair play and justice. There simply are not too many of us who would continue to work for an employer who paid everybody the same regardless of the amount of work they did. It is neither fair nor just that the one works all day in the field, bearing the brunt of the work, in the heat of the day gets paid the same as the guy who only worked one hour in the cool of the evening. Given those working conditions I think most of us would quit. Or at the least we too would sleep in and not show up to work until 5:00 PM and knock off at 6:00. Why not? You get the same pay. There are governments who have established this sort of pay system and it has failed for that very reason. Such a system of equal pay for unequal work does not encourage a good work ethic. It encourages laziness.
This being the case, we may wonder why Jesus tells a story that lauds such a faulty system of employee remuneration. The answer lies in the first verse of our text, "The kingdom of heaven is like . . ." These words clue us in to the fact that Jesus is not giving advice on the economics of business, private or socialized. Jesus is telling us a story about life in the kingdom of heaven. He is telling us a story that has something to say about how God is actively bringing salvation to his people through His Son, Jesus Christ. And if you hear this parable and think, "This isn’t quite right," then good. Jesus has you just where he wants you. Because when it comes to the kingdom of heaven things are not quite right from our human perspective. The kingdom of heaven operates in a very different manner than the kingdoms of this world.
So what does this parable teach us about the kingdom of heaven? Two things for us to consider this morning.
First, the amount of times the master of the house returns to the marketplace in order to hire laborers for his vineyard. The master of the house goes all day long. Specifically the parable says he goes to the marketplace early in the morning, the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour and the eleventh hour. Each time he finds someone to hire. The master of the house even hires those at the latest hour of the day. This means he hires those whose skills no one else found valuable enough to work. Yet this master finds them valuable enough to hire even at the last hour of the day.
So, how is the kingdom of heaven like this? It means the Lord Jesus comes looking for you and anyone else as long as there is daylight and there is work to be done. The Lord Jesus never stops until the time for judgment has come. He searches and searches and hires people to be part of his crew.
The first verse of our Old Testament lesson from Isaiah 55 sums up this Jesus who searches until he is not longer able to, "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near." In the parable all the men who go to work are those who sought the Lord while he was able to be found. They are the ones who answered the Lord’s call while he was near.
The second thing for us to consider this morning are the wages assigned to each person. The men hired at the beginning of the day agreed to work for one denarius, a typical day’s wages in those days. At the end of the day when it comes time to pay the master of the house pays all of the men one denarius regardless of how many hours they had worked.
Again, this is the part of the parable that gets us a little bent out of shape. But remember the real question is: What does this teach us about the kingdom of heaven? And if the kingdom of heaven is primarily about the action of the master of the house in this parable then that is where our focus needs to be. In other words: don’t make this parable about the workers and the apparent unjust wages. Make this parable about its true meaning: A master of the house who is gracious. How wonderful it is that the master of the house, regardless of what time he hires you gives you the full benefits of being in his employ. And since we are talking about the kingdom of heaven the full benefit of being an employee of God is salvation. And there is no quantifying salvation. You are either saved or you are not. And thus every body in God’s employment receives the same pay regardless of when they come on board. The reason is simple: The pay is not based upon the work of the laborers. The pay is based upon the master’s grace. And grace is free. Thus, by the grace of Jesus and not by our own works everyone enjoys the same reward.
Our Old Testament lesson sums this up when it mentions the guarantee of God’s compassion and pardon if you answer his call and turn to him, "Let him return to the Lord that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
This grace of God given in and through Christ Jesus is what the kingdom of heaven is like. And this is why parables about the kingdom of heaven always have that little twist in them that make us go, "Huh?" The kingdom of heaven, because it is a kingdom of grace and not works is truly unlike anything we encounter when we deal with sinful human people. Sinful people love to exert their rights. Sinful people love to seek revenge. Sinful people want just deserts when it suits their own personal gain. Hence part of the reason why personal claim lawsuits are so very popular.
How thankfully different is the kingdom of heaven. How thankfully different is the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Truly, in regard to this grace, we can agree with the Word of the Lord in our Old Testament lesson, " ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Amen.
The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Genesis 50:15-21 ESV
[15] When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him." [16] So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he died, [17] 'Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. [18] His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants." [19] But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? [20] As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. [21] So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones." Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this 18th Sunday after Pentecost is the Old Testament lesson recorded in the last chapter of Genesis.
Guilt over sin is a hard thing to get rid of. Guilt over sin committed long, long ago is often revisited. The sin, without any invitation, pops into your mind and replays itself before you. And then the guilt returns. Why did I ever do that? I wish I could take it back? But you did do it. And no matter what you do you can’t take it back. You can’t do it over. When these past sins thrust themselves upon your heart and mind and guilt you thought was long buried returns the problem really is NOT one of forgiveness. The problem is one of faith. Old guilt revisited causes you doubt that your sin is forgiven. Old guilt revisited causes you to believe that your sin was in fact too big to be forgiven.
Behind our Old Testament lesson this morning is a story of faith weakened by old guilt over past sin. Joseph was one of twelve brothers. Of those twelve brothers Joseph was the clear favorite of their father Jacob. And there can be no doubt about it for the scriptures clearly state the fact, "Now [Jacob] loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age." The other brothers knew that Joseph was their father’s favorite. And they hated Joseph for it. Again the scriptures make it clear, "They hated [Joseph] and could not speak a kind word to him."
Things got really hot in this sibling rivalry when Joseph was about seventeen years old. Joseph it seems was somewhat of a goody-goody. When he was out tending the flocks with his brothers they were not behaving properly so he went and told on them to Jacob. As you can imagine that only gave the brothers more reason to hate Joseph.
Soon after, Jacob presented Joseph with a richly ornamented robe, the famed "coat of many colors." Now the brothers really hated Joseph. He was a rat and now the rat was being rewarded with this expensive robe.
Then came the final straw: Joseph had two dreams. Each dream indicating the same thing: One day Joseph would rule over his brothers and they would bow down to him. "What an arrogant, cocky little kid," the brothers must have thought. "Who does Joseph think he is! Daddy’s little boy gets a fancy robe and now he thinks he is going to be king over us!"
Soon after, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers. When the brothers saw Joseph coming they seized their chance. "Here comes that dreamer! Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams." Now you see how out of control their hate had become. They wanted to kill their own brother.
Reuben, the eldest, interceded for Joseph and convinced them not to kill him. So they grabbed Joseph, stripped him of his robe and threw him into the cistern. While they were eating lunch and figuring out what to do with Joseph a caravan of Ishmaelites came along on their way to Egypt. Judah suggested that they should sell Joseph to them. They agreed and sold Joseph into slavery for 20 pieces of silver. After Joseph was led away they took a goat and slaughtered it, dipped Joseph robe in the blood and brought the blood drenched robe to Jacob. Jacob concluded that a ferocious animal devoured his son. Jacob refused to be comforted. He said, "No, in mourning will I go down to the grace to my son."
Over time the brothers had put their sin and their guilt far behind them. Though it was always there under the surface. It was always there whenever they looked at their father who had never fully recovered from the death of Joseph.
After many years there was a famine in the land. Egypt, however, had food. So Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. It is on a second trip to buy grain to Egypt that the brothers are detained by the man in charge of distributing the grain. While the man is questioning the brothers about a stolen cup the man suddenly loses control of all his emotions and sends all the attendants out of the room. Once the attendants had left the man revealed himself to the brothers: "I am Joseph, your brother." Joseph was so excited to see his brothers that the scriptures record, "[Joseph] wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it."
The brothers of course could not be so excited. They remembered anew the evil they had done to Joseph. And Joseph now had great power. He was second only to Pharaoh in all Egypt. And they had bowed down to him. They were terrified. After all that time Joseph could now have his revenge.
Here is what Joseph said, "Come close to me. I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. . . . God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance."
Joseph had forgiven his brothers because in the maturity of faith he had recognized the bigger plan: The saving of many lives. What a wonderful story of forgiveness. Not only did Joseph forgive his brothers he had them bring their father to Egypt and all their families. He forgave them and then showered them with every blessing at his command.
With all of that forgiving grace, the brothers still couldn’t totally put away their guilt. When their father Jacob dies the brothers figure that now Joseph will exact his revenge. You see, from their point of view, they simply couldn’t believe that Joseph had actually forgiven them. People aren’t forgiven for such wicked deeds—they are punished. The brothers try two things to get Joseph from exacting his revenge: First, they lie saying their father on his deathbed ordered Joseph to forgive. Second, they say that they will be Joseph’s slaves.
Joseph’s response is to weep. He weeps because he realizes his brothers don’t believe his forgiveness. So Joseph reassures his brothers. He again tells them that the whole thing was God’s plan. It was intended for good: the saving of many lives. And so he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. The brothers’ sin and guilt was so great that they needed constant comfort and reassurance that their sin was in fact forgiven. They needed that constant preaching of forgiveness so that they might in fact start believing it.
This is the way it must be. Sin and guilt are incredibly powerful forces. Past sins and old guilt do return in the most unexpected of places. Those can be faith shattering moments. Only the reassurance of the forgiveness of sin won through Jesus Christ can heal a shattered faith. Over and over and over again you must hear it. You must hear it so that you may believe it. So that you can say with great confidence, "My sin is forgiven. I know it is so because Jesus Christ died on the cross and paid the price. It is gone."
Martin Luther once wrote, "The distinction between the Law and the Gospel is made easily enough in words." And that is correct. As an academic exercise it is easy to talk about the effects of the law: guilt and death. And it is easy to talk about the effects of the Gospel: life, peace and joy through sin forgiven. But Luther goes on. He says, "But in affliction you will discover that the gospel is a rare guest in men’s consciences while the law is their daily and familiar companion."
The forgiveness of Jesus Christ must be spoken to you time and time again. It is so easy to believe the condemnations of the Law. To believe that your sin cannot be forgiven. It is easy to believe because you feel so bad about what you have done, even if what you have done happened so very long ago.
Whatever sin you have committed . . . whatever guilt you are bearing . . . hear this blessed reassurance from the Word of God: "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12) "Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." And finally from the first letter of John, "I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (I John 2:1-2) Amen.
The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Revelation 5:12
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this 17th Sunday after Pentecost, and in honor of our first full Sunday morning in this new sanctuary is from Revelation chapter 5, verse 12:
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
It has been an exhausting two weeks. The week leading up to the storm was a week full of anxiety as we all waited to see where Gustav was headed. Everyone was more than a little edgy. It is understandable. We all know how bad these storms can be. Then the anxiety of the storm itself once we knew we would be hit. The anxiety of wondering what will happen to my home this time? What will happen to my business this time? Can I really go through something like Katrina again? With all these thoughts on one’s heart and mind comes the long, anxious return for those who evacuated.
This time there was good news for us in Slidell. No major flooding. Minimal wind damage. Power restored incredibly quickly. For that we give thanks and praise to our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But of course, all across the rest of our state there is great damage. And we certainly have empathy for those who have suffered loss in this storm. And in the weeks to come we will help in any way that we can.
All of that real life anxiety that we have been experiencing in the last few weeks is helpful because it offers the perfect real life event that leads to the necessity and purpose of ‘sacred space’. And since this is our first full Sunday in our new sanctuary it is appropriate to refresh ourselves with a proper understanding of this sacred space.
One of the more obvious effects of hurricanes in general and certainly a distinguishing characteristic of Hurricane Gustav is the loss of power. Life without power is difficult. No lights. No refrigeration. No gas stations. No restaurants. And highlighted for us this time: No power to the sewerage system lift stations. A powerless lift station that continues to get pumped full of human waste will eventually began to back up, spilling its contents out into the street. One doesn’t need much of an imagination to realize what a catastrophe that would be.
A powerless spiritual life is also a problem. Without power your spiritual will go bad. Without power sin will continue to build up inside your heart and mind until it has no place to go. Your whole being will back up with sin and begin to overflow into lives of those around you. And you will know when you meet someone backed up with sin—they are about as pleasant to be around as an open sewer.
We need power. The power that has been given to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who was worthy to be slain. And the power that Jesus Christ has been given is the power to forgive sins. When the sewer plant has power it sucks that waste out of the lift station and takes care of it. When your spiritual life has the power of Jesus Christ’s forgiveness your sin is sucked right out of you and nailed to the cross once and for all.
The purpose of this sacred space is to bring that forgiving power of Jesus Christ to you in the here and now. Sacred space is a forgiving space. A place for you to meet your Savior Jesus and have him suck the sin right out of you. Lift stations work better when they have power and aren’t all jammed up with human waste. Christians work better when they have the power of Jesus forgiveness and aren’t all jammed up with sin.
This forgiving power of Jesus Christ is given to you in a variety of ways when we gather in this sacred space.
It begins with the first words of the liturgy: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Those words put us in mind of our baptism for it is the name into which we were baptized. And when God put his name on us it came with the certainty of the forgiveness of sins.
Next we confess our sins to God and one another. And immediately following that confession comes the absolution. Absolution is the sure promise of Jesus Christ himself that he has forgiven you of all of your sins.
Just in case confession and absolution wasn’t enough there comes the Service of the Word which includes readings from the Bible and the sermon. In those words, week in and week out, the forgiveness of Jesus Christ is proclaimed to you so that you may be certain that your sin is forgiven.
And just in case all of that still didn’t get the point across: That Jesus Christ has forgiven you of all of your sin there comes the Service of the Sacrament in which we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In that meal Jesus gives to us his very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. As He himself said, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."
All of these elements are ever present before you in this sacred space through your chancel furniture: The Baptismal Font, the Altar, and the Pulpit.
But there is more than that for this sacred space is also adorned with a stained glass window. The theme of the stained glass window in the chancel area is based on Revelation chapters 4 and 5.
In Revelation chapter 4 we are introduced to ‘four living creatures’ who circle the throne of God. They are described in the following way, "The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third has a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures has six wings and was covered with eyes all around even under his wings." From very early on the church recognized these four creatures as symbols of the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There is some disagreement among the church fathers, however, as to which symbol goes with which evangelist. The most widely accepted view is that the man represents Matthew, the ox represents Mark, the lion represents Luke, and the eagle represents John. The number four is also significant as it represents the four corners of the earth. Thus the eternal Gospel of Jesus Christ goes forth from the throne of God to the ends of the earth.
These four symbols from Revelation chapter 4 form the outer circle of the stained glass window and serve as a constant call to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ both near and far.
In Revelation chapter 5 we are introduced to the Lamb who was slain, "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders." The Lamb who was slain is the living and resurrected Jesus Christ who has ascended to the right hand of God with all authority in heaven and on earth having been given to him. Of this Lamb the four living creatures sing, "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Indeed Jesus, the Lamb of God, was worthy, "for you know that it was not with silver or gold that you were redeemed . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot." (I Peter 1:18-19).
The center window is the symbol of the Lamb who was slain. Thus the Lamb is pictured standing rather than reclining. The Lamb is also waving the victory banner emphasizing the Lamb of God’s victory over death. The Lamb is at the center for Jesus is the center of our faith. As it says in Acts chapter 4, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Lastly, the window is placed within a steel cross for it is by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that John the Baptist’s words and our salvation were made complete, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
Yes, God is everywhere. But sacred space is about the space where we can be sure that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God comes to take away our sin and bring us forgiveness. And to do so abundantly, consistently and constantly. And where sin if forgiven there is joy, there is life and there is peace. Amen.
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Romans 11:33 - 12:8 ESV
[33] Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
[34] "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"
[35] "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" [36] For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
[12:1] I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
[3] For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. [4] For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, [5] so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. [6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; [7] if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; [8] the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this 15th Sunday after Pentecost is the epistle lesson recorded in the 11th and 12th chapter of Romans.
Our text begins with Paul bursting forth in praise of the Lord and the mysterious ways of his mercy. In what has preceded Paul has been writing about the relationship between the Jewish nation’s rejection of Christ and the Gentiles acceptance of Christ. Paul has written that the Jewish rejection of Christ is part of God’s plan to show mercy to all. This Jewish disobedience has put them in the same boat as the Gentiles. Therefore, just as the Gentiles were saved by God’s mercy and not by their own righteousness, so also the Jews, if they are to be saved, must also be saved by God’s mercy instead of their own righteousness.
It is this plan of God to show mercy to all in such a mysterious way that causes Paul to get caught up in the moment and burst forth in praise, "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!"
It is in light of this great mercy of God, shown to all in Jesus Christ . . . It is in light of this great mercy of God that truly is worthy of our greatest praise that Paul encourages all Christians to present their bodies as a living sacrifice.
The concept of a living sacrifice is a little strange if we consider the biblical use of the word sacrifice. The biblical use of the word sacrifice means to offer up a life by killing it. When God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac he knew what that meant. It meant take your son and kill him. When the Lord God commanded all of the various sacrifices for the nation of Israel the Israelites knew what that meant. The prescribed animal for a specific sacrifice was to be killed. When John the Baptist pointed at Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." That could only mean that Jesus had come to die. Lambs were meant for sacrifice. Sacrifice meant being killed. And so it is that Jesus, as the Lamb of God was handed over into the hands of sinful men and they sacrificed him by killing him on the cross.
This was God’s most complete act of mercy. In the sacrifice of his Son on the cross, in the killing of his Son on the cross no more sacrifices were necessary. Jesus has paid the price. His sacrifice counts for all. His sacrifice is your mercy. His death is your life. "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!"
It is because of this complete sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that Paul encourages us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. That is a sacrifice that is not killed, but rather a sacrifice that lives. A sacrifice that lives as part of the body of Christ. Not the body of Christ that was sacrificed, died and was buried. But, rather the body of Christ that rose from the dead and lives and reigns over you with His grace and mercy. You are part of the living body of Christ.
Every part of a body has a function. It has a purpose. When Paul says you are to present yourselves as living sacrifices as part of the living body of Christ he is saying you have a purpose. There is a point to your life. And the point of that life is not to go out there and die. It is to go out there and live.
General Patton used to give rather graphic pump-out speeches to his troops before they went into battle. One of the lines he used to say (cleaned up a little for churchly use) was, "Your job is not to die for your country—your job is to make sure the other guy dies for his."
When Paul says to present yourself as a living sacrifice he is saying, "Your job is not to die for your Lord." Now don’t get me wrong here. I am well aware of the many Christian martyrs who did die for the Lord Jesus. I am aware of the storied history of the faith in which great men and women were killed on account of their faith in Jesus Christ. But the point is this: They did not seek that death. They did not seek to be killed. They were too busy living. Living out their part as the body of Christ. They knew that their job was to offer themselves as living sacrifices. And precisely because they were so alive as living sacrifices by the mercies of God in Christ Jesus they were martyred. "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!"
What God has done for us in Jesus Christ is the most amazing thing. The most wonderful thing. How can there not be but a constant overflow of praise and thanksgiving in our hearts? And yet it is not constant is it? It is not constant because there is competition. St. Paul is aware of the competition that’s why he says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." The competition is quite simply the world.
So there lies the battle that lies within every Christian heart: To be a living sacrifice for Christ Jesus or to conform to the world. Examine yourself. In that on going battle in your heart who is winning? When it is put before you to choose do you choose the way of the world or do you choose to be a living sacrifice for Jesus Christ? Perhaps that is too general. We are a sports saturated culture, so sports are a frequent temptation and the source of much idolatry. So when it is put before you to play in a ball game or to go to church what do you choose? Do you conform to the world and play the game or do you in that moment rise up and for once in your life become a muscular Christian as a living sacrifice in the body of Christ?
I love these examples because the guilty conscience always wants to respond: What? Are you saying I’m going to hell if I go to one ball game instead of church? It really is a silly, immature response of course. It is silly and immature first because behind that question is an inadvertent admission of guilt. To respond, "Are you saying I’m going to hell if I go to one ball game instead of church?" is really saying, "Are you saying I’m going to hell if I just sin this one little time?" As if somehow little sins are insignificant and God doesn’t really care.
It is also a silly, immature response because it misses the bigger picture. It isn’t about just that one sanctified decision of whether to play or not to play. It is about a whole string of decisions linked together over a lifetime. And if your sanctified decision making is consistently to choose the world over your life as a living sacrifice than guess what: Over time you will simply cease to be a living sacrifice because you will have become conformed to the world. People of the world are always popular and so if you are conformed to the world you will be popular. But, will you be saved? The Word of God suggests the answer is no. There is no salvation for those who follow the world instead of Jesus Christ.
So there is competition in your life as a living sacrifice for Jesus Christ. And as you so often experience that competition is fierce and the prize is your very salvation. When the stakes are high and the competition is fierce that creates pressure. And being under pressure creates mistakes. If you have been watching the Olympics then you have seen how many athletes have cracked under the immense pressure to win the gold.
If you are feeling the pressure to present yourself as a living sacrifice in the face of worldly conformity it may indicate a need for repentance. If so good! Repentance is the way back to Jesus Christ.
If you are feeling the pressure to present yourself as a living sacrifice in the face of worldly conformity it may also indicate that you are in the midst of having to choose. If so, you may be wondering where to get the strength to make the muscular choice as a living sacrifice for Jesus Christ. It comes simply from this one phrase of our text, "by the mercies of God." It is by the mercies of God that we offer ourselves as living sacrifices. God’s mercy in Jesus Christ will give you the strength to make the right decision. God’s mercy in Jesus Christ will be there to forgive when you make the wrong decision.
"Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" Amen.
The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 15:21-28 ESV
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21] And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. [22] And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." [23] But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." [24] He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." [25] But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." [26] And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." [27] She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." [28] Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for this 14th Sunday after Pentecost is the Gospel lesson recorded in the 15th chapter of St. Matthew.
Our text begins with Jesus heading into the district of Tyre and Sidon, two port cities on the Mediterranean coast. There he encounters a woman who is described as a Canaanite. The description of this woman as a Canaanite is most significant for it designates this woman as a non-Jew. And it is for this reason that Jesus does something we are not used to seeing him do: He ignores her. The disciples are tired of hearing the woman crying out so they ask Jesus to send her away. Jesus answers, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
Jesus’ answer is more disturbing than his silence. After all we have always taught that salvation is for everyone. Yet, here Jesus seems to be indicating that this is not the case. What is going on? I think St. Paul clears it up for us in Romans 1, for the Gospel, "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." When Jesus answers that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel he is indicating that salvation is to the Jews first then the Gentiles and that the time for the Gentiles had not yet come. It is only after the resurrection of Christ and the rejection of Christ by the Jews that the Gospel is brought to the Gentiles.
The Canaanite woman however is not persuaded by such theological arguments concerning who gets the Gospel first. She is desperate. Her daughter is being tormented by a demon now. And Jesus is the one to fix it—now not later. And so she persists all the way to the feet of Jesus, kneeling at his feet she tries again, "Lord, help me."
And here is where we would expect the Scriptures to say something like, "And Jesus had compassion on the woman and healed her daughter." But that is not what happens. Jesus rather explains why he won’t do the miracle for this woman. He says, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs." This is pretty rough given the desperate state of this woman. In Jesus’ answer the woman is the dog. The children are the lost sheep of Israel and the bread is Jesus. Jesus is saying I am meant for Israel first so it is not right to hand my grace over to an unbelieving Gentile dog.
The woman’s response to Jesus can be taken in one of two ways. First, the way it comes across in your text where she says, "Yes Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table." In this instance it sounds as if the woman is arguing with Jesus in witty fashion. To which the witnesses standing around might have responded, "Whoa! Touche!" And then of course Jesus grants the woman the miracle for her honest, witty argumentation.
The second way the woman’s response to Jesus can be taken is that she is simply agreeing with Jesus in all humility. In which case her answer would be translated not "yet even" but simply "because." "Yes Lord, because the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table." Understanding the woman’s response this way shows a woman who recognizes her deeply humbled position. She knows Jesus is not for her. Yet, she also knows what Jesus can do for her. Understanding the woman’s response this way shows a woman of truly great faith. It is truly great faith because she has not come looking for what does not belong to her. She doesn’t want the "children’s bread". She has come only for a crumb of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. And what makes her faith truly great is that her faith believes without a shadow of a doubt that a crumb is all it will take. A crumb is all it will take in order to heal her daughter of her demonic affliction. To this Jesus says, "Woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire."
So there you have two choices: In one instance the miracle turns on a witty retort. In the other the miracle turns on the humble faith of a woman who only needs an undeserved crumb of God’s grace. If we take the rest of the Scriptures into account, particularly these verses of the magnifat, "for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant . . . and exalted those of humble estate," then we must conclude that the proper interpretation of the woman’s response to Jesus is not a witty retort but rather humble faith in the power of God’s grace in Christ.
The faith of this woman stands in stark contrast to the sense of entitlement that the many of the Jews of Jesus’ day lived with. The faith of this woman stands in even starker contrast to the sense of entitlement that we live with in our own culture. For several generations now in our country we have taught our children a very dangerous lesson: They should have everything just because. You encounter this sense of entitlement whenever you go to a fast food restaurant and the young kid behind the counter acts like he is doing you a favor just to get you your food. The kid doesn’t want to work. He certainly doesn’t want to serve. He just wants his paycheck because. Then there are the countless others who never serve you at a fast food restaurant simply because they are too good to work at such a place. And we can get outraged at such an attitude—but remember those attitudes are learned from observation.
When one lives with such a sense of entitlement there is never satisfaction. A person who lives with such a sense of entitlement is never thankful for what they have rather they are always whining about what they do not have. Always whining about what someone owes him.
Indeed, to encounter a woman like the Canaanite woman in our text, one could only praise her as a woman of great faith, simply because such faith is so rare. A faith so certain of the saving power of Jesus that it is completely satisfied with a mere crumb. In our rampant material culture crumbs seldom do. And for that lust of more and more things there is need of great repentance.
Crumbs are not good enough. Yet somehow in the Scriptures crumbs are always good enough.
Just a few weeks ago we heard how five loaves of bread fed over 5,000 people and they were satisfied. Crumbs of God’s grace are always enough.
Moses and the Israelites were fed with a thin, flaky crust that appeared on the ground every morning. They ate that crumb-like substance and were satisfied. Crumbs of God’s grace are always enough.
The prophet Elijah was staying with a widow in Zarephath during a famine. All they had was a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Yet the Lord promised that those crumbs would be enough. And so the jar of flour and the jug of oil were not spent until the famine had ended. Crumbs of God’s grace are always enough.
Crumbs of God’s grace are always enough. Yet, God in Christ gives us more than crumbs. He gave His very best by sending Jesus Christ. He gave all of His Son Jesus Christ as His life was poured out into death on the cross. Crumbs may be all you need. Crumbs are certainly what you deserve—at best. But crumbs are not what you get. God in his mercy has given you Jesus Christ. He has given you all of Him.
Look to Jesus and you have all you need. Look to Jesus and your faith will be great! Amen.
