​Trinity 20                                                                                                                                                   October 17, 2021
Isaiah 55:1-9
 
Shopping at the Lord's Supermarket
 
v.1     Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, it is harvest time.  A time of feasting and celebration as the fruits of the field are gathered and people rejoice in God's good gifts that provide sustenance and life.  Indeed, just this past weekend in Canada was our Thanksgiving weekend--a time of special feasting and joy!  Many a bird and pig were sacrificed on the altar of our ovens for the delicious dining experience.  For these special meals come at a price, don't they?  Turkeys, potatoes, yams, salads, cakes, and pies--all come at a price.  Not to mention the fine wines and aperitifs that are often enjoyed at such meals. 
          Which is what makes our text for today seem so very strange.  The picture is of a marketplace--a place where food and drink--the staples of life--are bought and sold, like our supermarkets.  However, the vendor at this marketplace is very odd, indeed.  He calls out to those who are thirsty and hungry, "Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."  How can He do that?  How can anyone stay in business by selling things at no cost?  He'll be bankrupt in no time!
          Of course, this is no ordinary vendor.  And the food He is "selling" is no ordinary food.  The picture painted for us here in Holy Scripture is that of God Himself, calling to His people to come and receive from Him the food of life.  You see, earlier in Isaiah we find that the people had turned away from God toward idols.  They attempted to pay by their efforts to appease these false gods--in effect, spending money for that which is not bread, and their labour for that which does not satisfy, to paraphrase our text in v.2.
          This left the people hungry and thirsty and penniless, due to their idolatry.  But God would have none of this.  His love for His people is too great.  That is why He sent His own Servant, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, who would work to re-establish God's covenant with His people.  This Suffering Servant does what God's people cannot do because He actually listens to the Lord and speaks His Word.
          This Servant, then, is the reason why the Lord can now offer such a sumptuous feast for His people completely free of charge.  For the price has been paid--in full--by another!  The Lord Jesus.  Jesus is the suffering Servant of God whose very death and resurrection established a covenant of mercy and peace between God and His people--you and me.  So, the Lord calls to all people--you and me and the whole world--through His blessed Gospel Word--to offer to all people the Bread of Life--the food of immortality through the forgiveness of sins, purchased and won by the blood of Jesus.  He is the Servant who imputes His righteousness to all who believe. 
          By hearing Jesus' Word--heeding His call to come and eat and drink--feast on His body and blood--in Spirit and in truth--in simple bread and wine--your souls may live--and you are incorporated into the everlasting covenant with God--a covenant founded in His steadfast and sure love for David.  A covenant established by the Suffering Servant, who is the Son of David, Jesus Christ--who went to the cross to suffer for your sins and to earn for you a place at the eternal feast of the Lord.
          Beloved, through faith in the triune God--He who calls you into fellowship with Himself by the blood of the Son--your cup overflows--at no cost to you!  For Christ Jesus has paid the price for you to eat and drink in the Father's Kingdom.  Jesus has paid with His suffering, death, and resurrection.  Jesus has paid with the blood outpoured by nail, thorn, and spear.  You and I now drink deeply from the side of Christ--drinking His blood--washed in the water and the Word of Holy Baptism--called now to be His holy people--called to be His witnesses to the world.
          Now, dear friends, as those who have been and nourished by eating and drinking freely of the Lord's bounteous goodness in Word and Sacrament--we have the great joy and privilege of being a light and a witness to this dark world of sin and death.  Yet, how effective is this witness?  For it seems a small and paltry attempt to gain more people into God's fellowship with simply words proclaimed from a pulpit or read from a book.  It seems utter folly to expect that water and word can drive off demons and breathe eternal life and salvation.  It seems ludicrous that simple bread and wine given by God's Word and at His bidding can cleanse a person from all sin and guilt. 
          Yet, indeed, this is exactly where the Lord may be found.  And God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are His ways our ways.  Through these simple means--and through simple folk like you and me--God calls to nations and people that we do not know--and they run to join us in the holy Christian church.  They flock to hear His Word proclaimed and receive His gifts of life and salvation.  Not because our witness is so good and convincing, but because the Lord's promises are so good and trustworthy. 
          Beloved, though we are the wicked, hungry and starving, conformed to the way of this world--made destitute by chasing after empty idols (like health, wealth, and happiness), yet we are called by God to forsake our ways, to turn from our thoughts, and to trust in the Lord.  To turn to Him and seek His goodness and mercy--this amazing gift of faith and life--in the place where He has directed us.  We sinners turn to Jesus.  To the One who calls out to us to eat and drink without price--to feast with Him at His side in glory everlasting.  To delight ourselves in the rich food of His table, which is His very own body and blood.  And we are not disappointed.  Nor are we left wanting.  For we have been graciously filled with the goodness of the Bread of Life from heaven. 
          Our ears have heard the Word of the Lord and digested Him and His promises to us.  No longer do we walk this earth hungry and thirsty, longing to be filled with joy and peace.  For in Christ Jesus you have been filled with every good thing--the very richest of food--the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world--your sin--your death--so that your cup may overflow with goodness and mercy and life.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Trinity 19 – Thanksgiving                                                                                                                     October 10, 2021
Matthew 9:1-8
 
It’s All About...the “F” Word
 
v.2-3 And behold, some people brought to Him [Jesus] a paralytic, lying on a bed.  And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
 
          Dear friends in Christ, what are you thankful for?  Today being the day in Canada that we typically reserve for pondering the many blessings that we have received and giving thanks and praise to the One from Whom all blessings flow, it is good to ask this question.  House, home, goods, honour, child or spouse?  Perhaps, all of the above—and even some others, like health and happiness.  What about our government?  "Hold on now, let's not get too crazy, pastor!"
          In our text for today, the paralytic man certainly had much to be thankful for.  After all, before meeting Jesus he had been restricted to lying on his mat, which served him for a bed; unable to work, unable to properly care for himself or his family, he was reduced to a life of shamefully begging from others in order to try and eke out a meagre existence. 
          Of course, after meeting Jesus, that all changed.  For, in the course of his encounter with the living God made flesh, this crippled man received a new lease on life.  He received the use of his limbs back—a truly life-changing experience I am sure we would all agree.  Thanks to his friends.  Thanks to God! 
          And yet, as wonderful as that was, as great a blessing as this man received from the hand of the Lord, yet that is as nothing compared to the real miracle our Lord Jesus imparted to this man.  For, even before Jesus restored his mobility, before the man even got his mouth open to beg the Lord for healing, Jesus looked upon him with compassion and satisfied his real need when He said, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 
          And really, beloved, isn’t that what the Christian life is all about?  Isn’t that what each and every single one of us truly and really needs in our lives?  Though we can easily be distracted by the many other gifts and blessings the Lord freely bestows upon us and all other people:  gifts like food, clothing, family, friends, shelter, etc., yet the best gift—the one that is to be absolutely central to us in our Christian life—is that of the free forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ Jesus.
          And you all know how absolutely vital forgiveness is—especially when you are the one who has screwed up!  When you have hurt those closest to you—either by accident—or on purpose!  Ask anyone who has been married for a few years—and they can tell you just how crucial it is to be able to forgive!  Without it—no relationship can long survive—either those with other people—or, more importantly, our relationship with God.
          You see, forgiveness is at the very heart of the Christian Gospel—for this is what Jesus came to win for us with His own perfect life, suffering, death, and resurrection.  Yes, we receive many other gifts as well from the gracious hand of the Lord, just as the paralytic also received physical healing (and for ALL these gifts and blessings we give thanks and praise to our merciful and gracious God who loves us so much and provides for us so in so many ways), but it is the gift of forgiveness in Christ that we truly need, and that which heals our greatest ailment of deadly sin that corrupts and infects our very natures with its evil and death.
          For that is our greatest problem—not that we have hurt others by thought word, and deed—not that others have hurt us by the same—though these are indeed grievous problems, but rather our biggest issue is that our right standing before God is hopeless apart from Christ.  For as we receive His forgiveness, so also we receive His righteousness—His perfect holiness.  Apart from Him, our sin clings to us and we are left, quite literally, dead in our sin.  Our own holiness, our own righteousness counts as nothing before God.  And just as we need His forgiveness to fully live—so also do we, as Christians, need to forgive and be forgiven by each other.
          Sure, we can do many wonderful things in the sight of the world—great acts of charity and kindness that serve our neighbour.  We do many good works like protecting the weak and the helpless (speaking out for the unborn, the aged and the infirm), caring for those less fortunate than ourselves (bringing casseroles, squares, and teas to the sick and the dying), taking food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, providing shelter for those with no home, etc.  And all these things are good and right—yes, God truly wants and commands that we, His Christian people, do such things in order to care for our neighbours.  But, these acts of mercy and kindness, good though they may be—mean nothing before God in terms of our salvation.  They do nothing to solve our greatest problem of sin.
          No indeed, the solution to our sin, the righteousness that we require before God is not one that we can earn with our good deeds or buy with our wealth and power.  Rather, it must be given.  It must be given freely by the grace of the One whose right it is to give it—God Almighty.  For just as the paralytic man could not heal himself physically, couldn’t by his own force of will or effort or by any means, make his legs work properly, so neither could he (nor you or I) ever do anything to earn forgiveness or righteousness in the sight of God.  
          We need the pure and perfect righteousness of Jesus to stand before God—what He gives us in the forgiveness of sins.  This forgiveness that flows from the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross for us on Calvary is our very greatest need.  And He had to earn it.  He had to earn it with every breath He took in which He fulfilled God’s holy Law in our place.  He had to earn it with His innocent suffering—the beatings, the mocking, the cruel nails, thorns, and spear.  He had to earn it with His own innocent death, by giving up His life freely on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin and mine. 
So, God does not want us to glory in our own righteousness—our strengths, freedom of will, our wisdom, etc.—all this must be mortified (killed)—despaired of—and then, when we are in hell because of our despair over our sin and rebellion against God—our lack of worthiness and honour in His sight—then the sweet words of the Gospel come to us and give us hope.  He declares you forgiven—not for your sake—but for the sake of Jesus Christ alone—He who suffered and bled on the cross.  By His dying He has destroyed death.  By His life He has earned life and salvation for you and all who believe.  He gives you these great gifts in His Word and Sacraments--concrete things outside of yourselves--so that you may always be comforted and assured that God is at work in and through these means to seal unto you the forgiveness for all your sins--by the blood of Jesus.  Truly, thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Trinity 17                                                                                                                                          September 26, 2021
Luke 14:1-11
 
On Grace and Pride
 
v.11   For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, our Lord, while attending a feast at a Pharisee’s house, witnessed, once again, that most distressing human trait—pride.  And so He tells them a parable that has two lessons:  one that deals with social manners (pride before men) and another that deals with self-righteousness (pride before God).  Now pride in social settings, such as choosing the spot of honour for oneself at a party can, as Jesus so aptly illustrated, wind up with us being rather publicly embarrassed—as those with more prestige arrive and we are asked to take the lowest seat left.  It would be something like having an adult sit at the kiddie table.  No one wants to sit there!  However, pride before God has much more drastic consequences, as it leaves us dead in our sins before a holy and righteous God, for, as He says, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.” 
          Now pride is nothing new for us as fallen human beings.  Indeed, the very first sin in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, was that of pride—arrogance—as they sought to place themselves higher than the Transcendent God.  They rejected His Word and substituted their own, which of course didn’t turn out too well for anyone—them nor us.  For pride leads to humiliation and ultimately condemnation and God’s eternal wrath, as we discover that we can never be equal to nor higher than God.  That He is the one in control—and when we forsake Him, we will be severely punished.
          Now that being said, is it wrong for us to take pride in a job well-done?  Well, yes and no.  It is a very fine line to walk for our pride must always take a backseat to humility, which in our case, doesn’t happen very often.  For, in our own arrogance and pride we seek to praise and promote ourselves at the expense of others—becoming snooty—looking down our noses at others because “I’m the best,” and “the world would be a better place if everyone just listened to me in the first place.”  Social media has made this an epidemic in our society today.
Indeed, we rather enjoy dictating to others how things should be.  Pride leads us to think and speak and act rudely and meanly to others—to criticize harshly, and often unnecessarily, their work and activities.  Think about that for a moment!  What gives you or me the right to criticize anyone about their job as if we know it or could do it better?  All too often we simply, and rather ignorantly, spout off about the work of the politicians, the tradesman, the teachers, etc. when we know nothing at all about that type of particular work.  Yet in our pride we assume that we know best about everything—which can lead to our own humiliation when it comes to light how ignorant we truly are.  This is particularly true for us as we live in a time of pandemic—when new information is constantly informing our views as it relates to the scientific evidence.  We ought to be humble in our interactions with others—not looking down at those who don't believe as we do—who think differently than we do about these things.
Indeed, Christ here, and indeed throughout the Scriptures, exhorts us to be humble—for “he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Now the humble in heart raises others up before oneself.  What is more, the humble in heart is also the contrite in spirit who confesses one’s sins before God.  For the humble person will be subject to the Word of God, confess their sins to the Father, and trust only in Christ for forgiveness and life.  And it is this person that the Lord will exalt—it is this person that the Lord will raise up on the Last Day, whereas the proud and the arrogant will be cast down into the pit of hell to suffer for all eternity. 
Dear friends, this should well give us some pause—indeed, it should terrify us—as we look deep into our own hearts and see the stubborn pride and sin that resides there so readily.  For God neither wants nor is able to endure pride.  As Peter says, “God opposes the proud.” (1 Peter 5:5)  Those who seek to exalt themselves—who seek to boast in the self—their own accomplishments, talents, etc.—will be humiliated by the power of the Most High God who does not suffer arrogant fools.  Beware, for if you glorify yourself, the Lord will make you lowly because you have sought to take away from Him what is rightfully His.  For your salvation, your life, your righteousness—comes not from you—but from Him.  He is due the praise and honour for those gifts that He gives—not you.
Indeed, all your gifts, talents, power, possessions, etc. all come from Him.  You and I have nothing to boast of whatsoever.  Even your good works—works like raising funds to help brothers and sisters in Christ in around the world—works like simply obeying those in authority over you—all these things and many more—though they be good in the sight of God—yet they are made good—and are worked through you— purely by His grace as His Spirit moves you by the preaching of His Word to do those things that are pleasing to Him.
Therefore, dear friends, grace is a word that we need to know and understand.  Grace means, “the undeserved favour of God.”  As we, in Christ, know and believe that on account of our grievous sin—our pride and arrogance—before both God and man—we must humbly look to the cross of Christ alone for our salvation and forgiveness and life.  Indeed, humility leads to life and salvation for the Exalted One, the Living God from heaven chose to humble Himself by taking on frail human flesh and living the perfect life of humility and service that you and I cannot.  Though all-powerful, Jesus never boasted of His strength.  Though all-knowing, He never flaunted His vast knowledge and wisdom to deride and scorn those around Him with contempt.  Rather, He freely shared both with those around Him to heal, and comfort, and give hope and peace and joy to all.
Jesus would then humbly bow before the will of His Father by subjecting Himself to a sinner’s death—even death upon a cross.  A death He in no way deserved—yet He embraced it—for by it He knew He would undo the sentence of death that hangs over each and every one of our heads.  Then, rising three days later He has won, in all humility, greater praise and adoration than anyone will ever receive.  For He has defeated our enemies.  Not because He had to.  But because He chose to serve us with His own life, death, and resurrection, thereby earning for Himself a holy people—washed and redeemed in His own shed blood and covered by faith with His own perfect holiness and righteousness. 
Dear friends, when we view our lives—our salvation—our situation in this life—from this perspective—it is easy to see that neither arrogance nor pride has any place in our lives.  Rather, we should do as St. Paul in quoting Jeremiah, saying, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:31)  Pride has been killed by the Humble One on the cross.  Christ’s humiliation and death on the cross is the only thing that we as Christians ever boast of—for it is there that our hope, our peace, our joy truly rests.  In Jesus and all He has done for us. 
And it is by Him and through Him that you are raised up.  When you are wracked with guilt over your own multitude of sins, when you are caught in the trap of despair, depressed, dejected, and terrified—then let the Word of Christ wash over you.  Let the Holy Spirit rule and govern your hearts.  May His Word of absolution pierce your heart to the quick—leading you to look to Jesus Christ, and Him crucified for your every need. 
When the devil comes calling and whispering his deadly lies into your ears, flee to the cross.  Put no stock, no faith, in your strength or resistance—for apart from Christ you are nothing—but in Christ—the Devil cannot harm you—nor can he rob you of your most precious gift—life in Christ.  For the Humiliated One has been Exalted on High and all must bow before Him.  He holds you in His hand—you are the apple of His eye—His dear brother or sister—a child of the same heavenly Father—and an heir with Him of all the glorious riches of the Kingdom of God.
Indeed, though the “high and mighty” will be brought down to their own destruction, yet the “humble and lowly” will be lifted up on the Last Day—by He who was lifted up on the cross in our stead.  In all humility we trust in the pure and free grace of God.  For we know that we have fallen into the pit of sin and death and cannot get ourselves out—there is no pulling us up by our own bootstraps (an impossible task, by the way).  Rather, we are rescued, saved by our gracious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  He has reached out to you—in Baptism—in the Supper—in the sermon—in absolution—to save you and set you free.  For the one who has conquered all pride, sin, and death—has given that victory to you. 
It is He who gives you a humble heart.  And just as God cannot abide pride and arrogance, nor can He suffer humility or leave it alone.  For He always seeks to exalt the humble.  That is His nature and He cannot act otherwise.  And so He goes after and cares for those who humbly confess their sins and Jesus Christ as Lord, promising to exalt them with His Son on the Last Day, for all eternity.  Paradoxically, those who are humbled by the Law to confess the living Christ are then immediately raised by faith in Him to the heavenly realms, where all the greatest gifts of forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation await.  And all this is given as a gift, by grace, through the Lord Jesus who acted in humble service to save sinners like you and me.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.  

​Trinity 16                                                                                                                                          September 19, 2021
Luke 7:11-17
 
The Funeral Crasher
 
v.11-12       Soon afterward He [Jesus] went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a great crowd went with Him.  As He drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, some years ago a movie came out entitled Wedding Crashers.  In this film a couple of close friends decide to “crash” wedding parties by impersonating distant relatives of the bride and groom so that they may partake of the fine food and drink (and women) at these parties.  Despicably, they came where they had no right to be—no invitation—no welcome.  They came, they took, they left. 
          Beloved, today in our text we read of a different kind of “crasher.”  One who would no doubt be gratefully received wherever He went—the Lord Jesus Christ—crasher of funerals.  We know from the Gospel records that no matter where Jesus went—funerals were interrupted as the Lord of Life met face to face with death.  And so we read that the day after the Lord Jesus spoke His creative and healing Word to heal the Centurion’s servant, He comes upon a funeral procession leaving the small town of Nain.  Jesus Himself is accompanied not only by His disciples, but by a large crowd of people. 
          No doubt the poor widow was mourning her son so fiercely that she hardly took note of the approaching crowd.  St. Luke does not indicate that she went to Jesus or pleaded with Him in any way—we don’t even know if she knew who He was.  Yet Jesus does what is neither expected nor requested.  Before the gates of the town Jesus comes into direct contact with human mortality.  He sees firsthand the devastation and grief that death has brought upon His people—death, which is every sinner’s due reward.  Yet Jesus does not turn a blind eye toward the mother or her son.  Instead, He is filled with compassion—literally, his gut is moved just as ours is when we experience sad situations.  Before the gates of that town, Jesus wages war on the gates of death.
          Death looms large before us, dear friends.  We have in recent months had too many experiences with death in our community and country.  We have felt the wrenching pain in our own guts as we have helplessly watched our loved ones die—sometimes quickly and unexpectedly—sometimes slowly and painfully.  Death seems so strong—so permanent—a vast fortress from which assault after assault is launched against us—taking us, one by one.  What can we do about it?  Nothing, but mourn, as the widow did for her child. 
          But Jesus is not so powerless as we.  It is for this that He has come.  He who is the Word of Life incarnate comes to face death and utterly lay it low.  It seems like He must be doomed to fail.  After all, He is just one man, how can He wage war against the gates of death and hell?  How indeed?!  He does so not in the way we would expect with weapons of steel and the strength of His arm—rather He does so by the power of His own Word.  The Word which created the heavens, the earth, and all that is in them.  The Word which brought forth all living things in abundance—this Word made flesh now speaks before the gates of death—the big, black, scary fortress—and with His Word—the gates are shattered and life is given to those in death.  “Young man, I say to you, ‘ARISE.’” 
Get up—be raised!  This is resurrection language, beloved.  For He who is the Prince of Life cannot be overcome by death.  Jesus bore our death for us in His body on the cross that we may also share in His resurrection.  The Lord Jesus has promised good to those who believe in Him—promised that though they die, yet shall they live.  He can promise this because He is the One who has forever defeated the power of death—again not as we would expect—but rather in lowly humility and shame—suffering and dying on a cross as a common criminal—but then rising again three days later in triumph and victory.  The gates of death and hell have been blown apart by the power of His cross and resurrection on Easter Sunday. 
At Jesus' death and resurrection an explosion of life occurs.  And here, in our text, even before His death and resurrection took place, but fully looking forward to those great events, the Lord Jesus speaks His Word and the young man is restored to life and given back to His mother!  For immediately he sat up and began to talk. 
Can you imagine the joy?  The great wonder and astonishment?  How would we react if, as we were carrying the casket out our front doors, a man approached and spoke such words and our loved one sat up, pushing the coffin lid aside to greet us with a smile and a “Hi, how are ya?”  Wow!  That is amazing!  God be praised!  God has visited His people!
Indeed, God has visited His people in the person and work of His own beloved Son, Jesus, who came to shoulder our burden of sin, take our death, and die for it all in our place.  So that as He overcame death and the grave by the power of His Word of Life in His resurrection—so also does He give that victory to you and to me and all who believe on His name. 
God has spoken His redeeming, life-giving Word over you.  Even as Elijah stretched himself three times over the widow’s son, so also has God stretched Himself over you in the threefold application of His name in the water of your Baptism, breathing new and everlasting life into you.  In Holy Absolution the sin in your life that seeks to overwhelm you and bring you into deepest, darkest despair, is undone—forgiven and washed away by the blood of Jesus in His Word to you that bespeaks you righteous.  And those who are righteous have life in them.
Remember dear friends the question Jesus asked His disciples about the great crowd of people, “Who do people say that I am?”  “Who do you say that I am?”  St. Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” [Matthew 16:16-18] 
What a glorious promise beloved!  The confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of the LIVING God [not the God of the dead, but those who are alive]—this confession of Christ overcomes the dark forces of sin, death, and hell.  We are not in a defensive war with these evils, rather we are the aggressors—surrounding their fortress we call upon the name of Jesus and their gates come crashing down.  For where there is right confession of Jesus—there He is among His people—protecting, providing, bestowing all things:  forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.  The likes of which the gates of hell cannot stand against.
This Jesus who was crucified, died, and was buried—has arisen to new life.  And so He also comes to us His people—shrouded in the deadliness of sin—He comes and takes our sin from us—clothing us in the clean white robe of His own righteousness that He earned with His perfect life, death, and resurrection.  We wash our sin-stained robes in the blood of the Lamb who was slain—forever forgiven for all our sin because of His wounds.
And Jesus, who crashed through the gates of death and hell, has Himself opened to us the gates of everlasting life.  We enter not by our works, but by believing in Him, trusting in His promise—looking to His cross and His resurrection for our comfort, peace, and joy.  For even in the face of death—we have life—and have it to the full.  And He who has crashed the great funeral procession of death and hell has not left, but remains with us, now and always, in His Word and Sacrament to give you peace, joy, and life.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Trinity 15                                                                                                                                          September 12, 2021
Matthew 6:24-34
 
Anxious Anyone?
 
v.31-33       Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, we worry and fret and agonize and stew about so many things.  And many of these things are not insignificant or trivial.  Some are very important—like how our children will turn out; how we’ll get by when we retire; how a relative or friend will get through a sickness or trauma; what path the Lord is leading us down as we head into the future; what will happen to religious liberty in our country; how to carry on as we remember people flying planes into buildings; how we and the rest of the world will get through COVID…
These are not small matters.  But then again, neither are the questions, “‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’”  There aren’t too many things more basic than food and clothing.  And yet Jesus tells us in the Gospel not to worry about them.  If that’s so, should we really be anxious, then, about the other things?
And yet sometimes, we just can’t help ourselves.   We keep talking with others about these things.  We obsess—we spend countless hours watching the news—reading stories online—about pandemics and all the other things that worry us so.  We act as if it’s all dependent on us and what we do and what our strategy and plans are--who will be President or Prime Minister—what the CDC recommends regarding vaccines and masks, etc.  And then, when we’re in that frame of mind, it’s easy for us to treat Jesus’ words as just pie-in-the-sky religious niceties.  In fact, it can seem as if He’s trivializing our problems by making comparisons to birds and flowers. 
That’s all fine and good, we say, but my life’s a little more complicated than a bird’s.  I mean, come on—get real.  “Don’t worry” just doesn’t cut it when the realities of life in this fallen world set in.  When there’s more month at the end of the money.  When the kids are struggling in school.  When the kids and grandkids don’t come to church anymore.  When we receive the life shattering diagnosis from the doctor--"You have cancer."  When COVID has affected pretty much every single aspect of life as we know it—and there doesn't really seem to be an end in sight with new variants coming out.  We can be tempted to think that He doesn’t truly care or that He’s just brushing off our concerns as no big deal.
But of course, Jesus isn’t throwing clichés at us to get us off His back.  He doesn’t treat His adopted brothers and sisters that way, which is what you are.  And neither does His Father, who is our Father in heaven.  For Our Lord God is not a harsh, uncaring, selfish Father who spends time with us only when He feels like it.  Our heavenly Father is the picture of perfect warmth and kindness. He’s the essence of mercy and love. And so He never brushes us off, never leaves us to ourselves, never abandons us.
We may say and think our Lord does, but that doesn’t make it so. And we may turn a deaf ear to Him, but that’s not how He treats us. And we may be unfaithful, disloyal, disrespectful, and demanding of Him, but He never dishes it back to us. And we may hold a grudge against Him because we think He did us wrong, but He is quick to forgive, quick to renew His Holy Spirit within us, and quick to restore to us the joy of His salvation.
So then, how does the Lord answer the things that worry us?  Well, what did you hear in His Word today?  First, you heard this from His prophet Elijah: “Do not fear.”  The Lord will take care of you. You may think your back is against the wall, and that there’s no hope.  But, really, there is nothing to fear.  Your bin of flour shall not be used up. Which for you means, you will always have a place at the Lord’s Table, and always be able to eat bread in His kingdom. And the jar of oil shall not run dry, which means that the Lord will never take back the anointing of your Baptism, the healing of your soul, the undying forgiveness, and the eternal life you received when He said you were His own.
And what’s more the prophet says, the Lord will send rain on the earth. Which for you means that He will pour out on you His Holy Spirit—to restore your hope, to uplift your spirit, to help you look beyond the many things that trouble you, and to cause you to believe that, no matter what you’ve done or what’s been done to you, no matter what the future may hold for you or your children or your grandchildren, the Lord will continue to take care of you, and lavish you with His love, and sustain and strengthen you. So do not fear. For “if God is for us, who can be against?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him freely give us all things?”  (Romans 8:31b-32).   If God has taken care of all of our eternal needs in Christ, can’t we also trust Him with the temporal things?
That is the word Our Lord Jesus speaks to you today by His Spirit. For He’s not talking about birds and flowers to brush you off. He’s pointing to them and saying, “The Lord takes care of them—and they are so trivial, so small. Surely, you are of more value than they! Surely, you matter much more! For they’ll never be called children of God, and they’re not made to commune with God. But you are. For the Son of God did not become a sparrow or a lily. He became a Man. He died as a Man to redeem you, and rose as a Man to conquer your death, and ascended to the Father’s right hand as a Man to give you a place in heaven.
And Jesus is coming back as a Man, God in the flesh, to bring you to Himself.  Your human nature has been taken up into the very nature of God Himself in Christ!  What great honor the Father has bestowed on you!  How could He ever forget you?  He is never negligent. He keeps His promises. He takes care of the birds and the flowers. He will take care of you.  So seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.”
But, you still might ask, what about Christians who are poor and hungry in this and other countries, or who suffer persecution (remember the Christians who are suffering right now in Afghanistan), or who seem to be as forsaken as Lazarus outside the rich man’s gate?  Is God not keeping His promise?  We must always remember that it is according to God’s wisdom that “all these things will be added to you.”  He has said that He will work all things together for your everlasting good.  And sometimes what is best for your everlasting good, and the good of others, is to bear the cross in this world.  Remember the temporal serves the eternal, not the other way around.  The Father never wants the passing things of this life to become a hindrance to your eternal life, so that you serve mammon and perish forever. 
And so sometimes God does multiply the flour, and men walk out of fiery furnaces and lions’ dens with their body intact.  But at other times your heavenly Father brings His children to Himself through suffering: by bullets, starvation, tyrants, or disease.  But in every case, faith trusts and knows that God is good and His steadfast love endures forever.  So when our Lord says “do not be anxious about what you will eat or drink or wear,” He is giving you the true and proper perspective.  He holds all things in His hands, most especially your eternal welfare.
So, if you still struggle with sorrows and anxieties, know that through them the Lord is guiding you, keeping you close to Himself. He is not done with you. Your faith is not yet full. You still have loving works to perform, prayers to pray, testimonies to give, things to learn. But He always provides. He always forgives. He always loves. The Lord who gave His Son into death to have you as His own, the Lord who marched through Hell with the remnants of the devil's crushed head stuck to His heel, the Lord who emptied the grave of its sting, the living Lord of Life, He will not forget you. He will not miss a single detail. He hears and answers all you prayers.
Do not worry.  You are worth more far more than sparrows or lilies.   Your Lord is ever faithful, ever true, ever merciful and kind.  Come to His table.  Be joined to heaven. And that will be sufficient for the day. Seek first His Kingdom, and all these things will be added unto you—according to His grace—in His time.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.
 
 

​Trinity 14                                                                                                                                            September 5, 2021
Luke 17:11-19
 
Healing for Whatever Ails You
 
v.19   And He [Jesus] said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
 
Dear friends in Christ, in our Gospel reading today we see Jesus passing between Samaria and Galilee on His way to Jerusalem for the last time.  Upon his approach to a local village Jesus is called upon by a group of men from a distance.  Why are they calling from a distance?  Because they are lepers.  And as we have learned in our daily bible reading program when we examined Leviticus (13:45), “the leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’  He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease.  He is unclean.  He shall live alone.  His dwelling shall be outside the camp.”
So these leprous men have banded together to scrape out a meagre existence—being separated by everyone else—even from proper worship as a leprous person could not enter the temple.  They have struck up an unlikely alliance—9 Jews and 1 Samaritan—usually vehement enemies—brought together by their common ailment. 
Even though these men have been segregated by their society because of their disease, such is Jesus’ fame that even they have heard of Him!  And so they seek Him out and seeing Him entering the village they cry out from a distance—not the words commanded by Moses, ‘Unclean, unclean’ to warn Jesus of their unholy approach.  Rather, they cry out for that which they know they don’t deserve—but which they need most desperately—so they may be saved from their deadly condition—“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
We, too, desire to be saved—desire mercy.  For our hearts are filled with the leprousy of sin.  Tainted and black we are tormented by the results of sinfulness in this fallen world.  We desire rescue from financial pitfalls, poisonous relationships, physical maladies, etc.—all of which cause us untold heartache and sorrow—pain and despair.  Separated from God—so we also separate ourselves from one another—by the evil that we think, say, and do.  You see, our sin cuts us off just as surely as the 10 lepers were cut off from their friends and families—their community of loved ones. 
We look to ourselves and our situation—sinners that are walking dead men—like the lepers were in Jesus’ day—and we pray for deliverance—salvation.  And what does Jesus offer?  Some mighty works that they had heard about?  A good meal?  A miraculous show of the laying on of hands?  None of that!  None of that is necessary when it is the Lord of Life who shows mercy.  He speaks—not even direct words of healing or comfort—merely, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  The only ones who could lawfully declare them free from leprosy and send them back to their families and loved ones.
“What a raw deal!” we may think to ourselves.  After all that begging and pleading—just a simple, “Go and be on your way.”  That doesn’t seem right nor fair.  But in faith they heeded Jesus’ words to them and as they went they were cleansed.  They were healed and completely cured!  Free at long last. 
Sometimes, we too may be tempted to wish for something more from God—a sure sign of His favour to us—be it in the form of a fat bank account or a miraculous healing for ourselves or a loved one.  But that is NOT how God works.  He gives us His Word.  We cry to Him for mercy—we fervently pray, “Lord, have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy.”  And He does—in His Word and Sacraments.
Faith—true faith which God alone gives—works through the Word and Sacraments and leads us to look and cling to the promises of Christ in His Word.  Jesus says He has come to take away your sin—to cleanse the leprous stain of filth from your black heart—this He has done by shedding His own blood for you on the cross.  Taking your guilt—your disease—your impurity—into Himself and then dying in your place so that He might be raised again.
Saving faith is not so much found in living the “victorious life,” as it were—free from sin in this life—righteous and holy and good.  There is no one good, but God alone.  Rather, Jesus gives us the victory of His life, death, and resurrection.  So, even though our lives may not look very good on the outside—even though our hearts are still filled with sin and death in this valley of the shadow of death—yet we cling to God’s promises to us in Christ Jesus.  He who bespeaks you righteous through His unworthy servants (pastors) declares you are healed of all your infirmities—cleansed of all your unrighteousness.
The Holy Spirit has come to you in your Baptism and cleansed your heart—washed it clean through water and the Word that you may be a new creation—perfect and holy and blameless in His sight.  No longer are you wretched and sinful in His sight, rather you appear as a beautifully radiant bride prepared to meet her bridegroom!  Without spot, stain, or wrinkle on her gleaming white dress that has been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ. 
When the one leper—the Samaritan—returned to Jesus, what did he do?  He fell down on his face in prostrate worship before the Lord’s feet, giving Him thanks.  It is this word for giving thanks, which is the same word Jesus uses when He institutes the Holy Supper.  For when He takes bread and the cup—He gives thanks—from this we get the term ‘Eucharist’ for the Lord’s Supper.  Truly, we come before this altar today in reverence and awe, even as the Samaritan leper did in our text—in order to give thanks—and receive from the bountiful hand of our Lord full pardon and remission of all sin—by joyously receiving His body and blood under simple bread and wine for us sinners to eat and to drink.
So, beloved friends in Christ, come to this table today, trusting not in your eyes—your nose—or the taste of your tongue.  Trust rather in your ears—hear what the Lord Jesus says to you, who have called upon Him this day for mercy.  He boldly declares to you, “Take eat...this is my body...take drink...this is my blood...given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.”  Even though it may not seem like much—this is the greatest treasure you will ever receive—and it’s all free gift—for what truly ails you.  In Christ Jesus you have forgiveness, life, and salvation—by faith in Him—you are truly made well.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.
 

​Trinity 13                                                                                                                                          August 29, 2021
Luke 10:23-37
 
Now THAT’S Mighty Neighbourly!
 
v.36-37       “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?”  He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”  And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
 
          Dear friends—dear neighbours—in Christ, this morning we see Jesus give an answer to the question, “Who is my neighbour?”  And He who is and became a neighbour to all—for all—instructs us in what it means to be neighbourly. 
          Who do you most often think of when you think of a good neighbour?  Perhaps it is one of your own neighbours—one who is always ready/willing to help at any time with any need—one who would quite eagerly “give you the shirt off his back.”  Perhaps a good example of neighbourliness comes from the world of television.  Mr. Roger’s Neighbourhood (the third longest running program on PBS) delighted children with wonderful examples of how to be kind and generous to one another.  Or, there is always the crazy antics of Ned Flanders from the Simpsons.  The guy who is regularly insulted, ridiculed, hurt, and mocked by Homer, but who, somehow, as a Christian, still manages to keep his sunny disposition and is always there to help Homer.
          We all have neighbours—and yet, sometimes—we’re not quite sure what to make of them.  Sometimes neighbours can be your very best friends—sometimes they can be your worst enemies.  Sometimes your neighbours just seem strange!  Yet we all have neighbours, we all are neighbours—and not just to those whom we happen to live next door to. 
          No, indeed, this is the very question that Jesus responds to by telling the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan.  An expert in the Mosaic Law had asked Jesus, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  Upon learning that one must keep the Law by loving both God and your neighbour perfectly, the man quickly asked another question seeking to justify his behaviour towards others, “And who is my neighbour?”
          You see, if your neighbour is someone whom you like/get along with—it can be very easy to love them—especially if you don’t have to see them every day—or even every week!  But Jesus' response in the parable indicates that a neighbour is not just one whom you may like, indeed, it may be someone whom you despise—whom you don’t even know—but it is one whom God has placed near you for a specific purpose—to show mercy.
          And therein lies our problem dear friends—for we may be good neighbours at times—we may be exceptional Christian neighbours some of the time—but then there are those times when we are not—when we are crabby, cold, mean, and nasty.  There are those times when we stick up our noses and turn in the other direction when we see someone who is in need.  And we pass our actions off as no big deal because “we don’t know them, so they’re not our responsibility.” 
          However, Jesus says that is not the case.  The Samaritan in the parable did not know the man who fell among robbers.  He only knew that he was Jewish—an ancient enemy to the Samaritans.  Yet, he was neighbourly, showing mercy to another human being in need.  And this is precisely what God demands/expects of all of us.  It does not matter who you are—where you live—where you come from—God demands that you show perfect love to whomever you meet in your life—especially those who do you wrong and who hurt you.
          Now that is a tall order!  That is an impossible task!  Yet that is what God’s Holy Law explicitly demands of each and every person—especially Christians—those who have known and experienced the love of God in Christ Himself.  We have no excuse.  We have so often failed to show mercy to one another—our supposed loved ones, even, let alone our enemies!  Where then does this leave us?  We who have been held captive and beaten by our sin—chained by the devil—beset by death on all sides? 
          It leaves us looking to God and praying for Him to be our neighbour.  And God, in Jesus Christ, has done just that.  Our Lord has done more than just “give us the shirt off his back.”  He has given us the blood in His veins and the flesh off his bones.  To take away your sin—to heal you of your death—to loose you from the bonds of Satan.  Christ has beaten back your worst enemies and has set you free!  Free by His shed blood on the cross—free by the whip marks on His back—free by His nail-pierced hands and feet—free by His thorn-pierced brow.  Free—fully and completely—forgiven—by His grace—for He has shown mercy to you by living, suffering, dying, and rising again—so that in Him—you might never die.
          Now, THAT is mighty neighbourly.  God could have simply turned and walked away from sinful man.  God could have justly destroyed us all by His Almighty power—wiping us clean from the face of the earth forever.  For, due to our sin, we are God’s enemies by nature.  But He has proven to be the very best of neighbours.  Jesus has borne our burdens in His own flesh on the cross.  He has anointed us with His Spirit working through His Word and Sacraments.  He has fed and nourished us with full forgiveness of our sins in Holy Absolution, Baptism, and the Supper. 
          What does a good neighbour do?  He takes care of those who are in need.  Our need was extreme—apart from His mercy we would all surely perish.  But Jesus has come to speak His welcome to us—to invite us into His heavenly home with Words of peace and forgiveness and life—to say your sins are forgiven for the sake of His shed blood.  He has brought you into His home—filthy and covered in the grime of your sin—He has washed you clean in the waters of Holy Baptism—making you new and clothing you with the robe of His own righteousness.  He has brought you to His Table—to feed you a sumptuous meal—prepared by His own hand—and consisting of His own body and blood—that you might be strengthened and nourished all the days of your life. 
          What better neighbour could we possibly have than the Lord Jesus who has taken such good care of us—especially when we do not deserve a bit of it?  He has responded to our pleas for mercy—with mercy—showering upon you the very gifts that you need most—forgiveness, salvation, and life.  These belong to you because your neighbour Jesus has given them to you—gifted them to you in the package of simple words with water, bread, and wine.  Yet in them He has restored your soul and brought you into His own heavenly kingdom where you will live forever with Him in all eternity. 
          Furthermore, we are moved by His Spirit to show our neighbour the same mercy that we ourselves have received so freely at the hands of our loving Saviour.  As our hearts are changed by His love and forgiveness, so we are enabled to reach out to our neighbour—whomever they may be—with words and deeds of kindness and compassion—seeking to show them the Lord Jesus Christ by what we say and do.  Leading them to His house and to His Word and Sacraments—that they too might hear of His mercy and so receive His life—from the One who is their very best Neighbour. 
          Jesus who is near you in His Word and Sacraments will draw you near to Him through the same that you might be strengthened in the one true faith and experience life and salvation in His name.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Trinity 12                                                                                                                                                August 22, 2021
Mark 7:31-37
 
Hard of Hearing?
 
v.32   And they brought to Him [Jesus] a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged Him to lay His hand on him.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, how's your hearing?  Now I know that some of you wear hearing aids regularly to help you hear better.  I also know that some of us may not be there yet, but our own hearing is slowly deteriorating and we have to continually turn up the TV or turn on the subtitles to be able to enjoy watching our favourite shows.  And some others of you enjoy very good hearing with no problems whatsoever--be thankful!
          In our Gospel reading today we heard of a man who was deaf and could not speak very well.  The crowd of the Decapolis (10 cities) brought this man to Jesus to see what He could/would do.  The crowd was anticipating another great show of Jesus performing miracles.  He was the hottest ticket in town--bigger than Celine Dion in Las Vegas!
          This poor man was completely deaf.  He couldn't hear a blessed thing.  He couldn't speak very well.  Communication with those around him was probably quite difficult overall.  What does Jesus do?  Does He indulge the crowd in their thirst for a good show?  Not really.  He takes the man aside and uses simple sign language to communicate to him exactly what was about to take place.  Touching the man's ears and tongue the man realizes that Jesus is going to do something to heal those parts of his body that don't work properly.  And then, Jesus speaks a simple word, "Ephphatha, be opened."  And with that not only are the man's ears opened to hear once more, but his tongue is freed from its impediment as well.  A true miracle is worked and the crowd rejoices along with this man at the great work of God.
          So...how's your hearing?  Not just physically, meaning can you hear through the normal decibel range of human beings, but how is your hearing when it is God speaking?  Not so good, huh?  Me either.  You see, we are all by nature deaf toward God--we have trouble hearing Him speak to us--either because of our own sin--or because of the sinful world around us.  We are sometimes surrounded by such sorrow and pain that we know not where to turn and can't seem to make sense of anything around us. 
          As a result of our poor hearing of God and His Word of truth we are also, therefore, unable to confess the faith rightly.  Our sinful nature often turns us inwardly upon ourselves--our own wants--our own desires--and turns a deaf ear toward the Lord God.  We can become so wrapped up in our own predicaments--in our own lives--that we fail to take note of the lives of those around us.  Lives that are often touched by heartache, sorrow, and death.  Faced with the awful reality of sin in the world, we can become deaf not only to the voice of God, bringing His Life and Truth, but to the cries of those around us as well. 
          Our speech is reflective of this as well.  We tend to first ask questions like, "How can the church serve me?  What do I get out of church?  How is God and His church going to do what I want?  Make my life more full and rich the way I want it to be?"  Rather, than asking, "What can I do to serve my church and my family and my community?  How may I use the gifts and talents that God has blessed me with in service toward others instead of just me?"
          You see, when God's Word is preached to us, our sinful nature reacts by trying either to change it so it says what we want it to say--or to ignore the parts that we don't like.  It's kinda like when children are frustrated and they put their fingers in their ears and shout, "No, no, no, I can't hear you, I can't hear you..."  that is us, dear friends.  You and me, by nature, want nothing to do with God--don't even want to listen to what He has to say.  We are steeped in our sin and go blindly toward hell and damnation--turning a deaf ear to all the warning calls that God is placing before us.  And worse, missing out on the wonderful comfort He wants to share with us.
          Into this dire situation enters the Lord Jesus.  God's only beloved Son.  The Word of God made flesh.  He is One who speaks with power and authority.  His Gospel message of His saving grace for all people in the blood of His cross unstops our ears--opens our hearts--frees our tongues.  His message of forgiveness for all sin changes us so that we can hear His Word and receive it with joy and thanksgiving.  Indeed, the Gospel moves us to respond in joy with words of prayer and praise for the Holy One of Israel who has done all things well. 
          In Holy Baptism, water that has been sanctified with Jesus' Word is applied to the individual person--creating faith in their hearts on the day of their Baptism--and sustaining it all the days of their lives.  Jesus has put His fingers into your ears and touched your tongue when you were baptized.  Your ears, beloved, have been opened to hear and receive the Word of Christ--both His Law and His Gospel.  And your mouth is free to confess the saving faith of Jesus Christ crucified for you and me and all people.  We can sing His praises and shout for joy in the triumph of His cross and empty tomb.  For in Baptism, His death for sin has become yours and His resurrection from the grave is also yours.
          In Mark's Gospel we have seen the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 29 that "the deaf shall hear the words of a book," fulfilled.  You have also been recipients of God's grace and mercy in Christ, beloved.  He who scorned the cross and shame--breathed His last in a great big sigh--for you.  He has bled and died so that your ears and lips may be opened and your mouths may declare His praise.  By His power, you have been changed, transformed.  Now, we do not first and foremost look to our own desires and wants, but that of our neighbour.  Now, we do not speak our own praises and listen to our own hearts, but rather hear the Word of God, believe it, and praise the name of the Triune Majesty.
          The sin and death that closed your ears and tied up your tongue have been loosed--opened by the redeeming Word of Christ that says, "You are forgiven.  You are healed.  You are saved and guaranteed a place by My side in eternal glory."  Beloved, what joy this brings to our broken hearts closed by sin.  For in Christ all things are made new.  In Christ Jesus' love and mercy, even miserable sinners like you and me are given hope and peace--by His blood that He willingly shed on the cross for you and me. 
          Our eyes, ears, mouth and hearts have now been opened by this saving Word of Jesus.  Opened to receive His blessings with joy and thanksgiving.  Opened to look with compassion and mercy upon our neighbour in need, whomever they may be.  And each time sin, death, and the devil try to close our ears to Christ's good Word, He comes over and over again in His Gospel preached and His body and blood delivered into your mouth--to feed you with His life and salvation—so opening  your ears to joyfully receive His Word—and unstopping your mouth to declare His praise unto all the world.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen

​Trinity 11                                                                                                                                                August 15, 2021
Genesis 4:1-15
 
A Matter of Pride
 
v.7     If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, I grew up in a household with two older brothers.  To say that there was some sibling rivalry in the house would be something of an understatement.  As the youngest I had to constantly prove myself worthy to hang out with my cooler, older brothers.  I'm sure they just "loved" having their younger, obnoxious brother tag along wherever they went (sarcasm).
          Siblings often try to "one-up" each other--to be seen in a better light by mom and dad--or, simply to keep the others in their place (usually under our feet!).  Both Cain and Abel sought the Lord's favour--a worthy goal--but Cain sought to be first.  After all, he was the firstborn son--he was the one who was supposed to bring about restoration between God and man (so he thought)--so of course he should be first--of course God should have the most favour upon him--it was a matter of pride--it was his right!
          So…when God had favour upon Abel's offering of blood--an offering made in meekness of faith and humility--but not upon Cain's offering of the fruit of the ground--an offering made in prideful arrogance and conceit…Cain loses it.  He can't have his little brother showing him up and making him look bad--it's just not right.  So he devises a plan to take the life of his younger brother in darkest sin and rebellion.
          We see this same story played out throughout humanity's dismal history.  A story wherein those who seek to earn God's favour by their own works/merit lash out in rage and violence against those who only in lowly repentance seek the good gifts of God that He freely bestows. 
          Just look at the parable that Jesus tells in our Gospel reading today.  Two men going up to pray at the temple.  The Pharisee acts as though he is God's greatest gift to the world--he is so amazingly perfect and has so much to offer that God should basically be falling down on His knees before this wondrous Pharisee.  However, the one who truly goes to his home justified is not the perfect man with so much to offer in terms of tithes, good works, and an excellent family, but the one who is gravely distressed over his sin--recognizes that he is absolutely unworthy of God's grace and favour--but who trusts the Lord to BE merciful--to lavish His gifts upon sinners.
          Beloved, do we not see ourselves in both of these stories in Scripture?  Are we not Cain?  Are we not the Pharisee?  Are we not the ones who constantly seek to promote ourselves and our good deeds before the Lord as the reason why we should be given His kingdom and righteousness?  Are we not the ones who need God's unconditional mercy and love? 
          Do we not daily struggle against this pride within our hearts--a pride that desires to be God's favoured one based upon our attitudes--our accomplishments--our faithfulness?  When we are truly honest with ourselves we can see that we are sinful in our pride and arrogance.
          We hurt others with our reckless disregard for their feelings and situations.  We cut them down so as to make ourselves feel better--trying to tip the scales of God's justice in our favour, thinking that if we at least are better than our neighbour down the street, or the person in the pew next to us--then we may stand a chance before God.  By doing so we sabotage our brother, Jesus, who has offered up the perfect sacrifice of the firstfruits of His body and blood on the cross as an offering that is pleasing and acceptable to God.  An offering made with great pain and suffering--that cost Him His very life--so that you and I could be given His holiness and righteousness.  And we would ROB Jesus of this great act of love and mercy by seeking to add to it with our OWN works! 
          Dear friends, we must be humbled before the Lord.  We must be brought to our knees in contrition and repentance.  And we cannot accomplish this by our own doing.  It is a gift of the Holy Spirit who brings us to repentance through His Word of Law.  A Law that cuts to our very heart--and removes the sinful pride that is buried within.  A Law that makes plain how sinful and destitute we are in God's sight.  How powerless we are to earn His favour in any way.  A Law that brings us to our knees--so that the only place we have left to look is away from ourselves--to the Lord Jesus hanging on the cross for sinners like you and me.
          Sadly, in recent years, we have become very familiar with the devastation that hurricanes wreak on people and property.  We can all recall the images that are played on tv of the rescue efforts in these situations.  We often see valiant men and women of the coast guard coming to the rescue of those stranded in their homes--clinging to rooftops, trees, anything to stay alive.  In many instances, their rescuers have to risk life and limb themselves by lowering the rescue basket and then diving into the raging floodwaters to assist the trapped person to get in and so be hauled to safety. 
          Those who are rescued in such a dramatic fashion can serve to begin to illustrate the point of what God has done for us in saving us from our sin.  But Jesus has done so much more.  For we were not just exhausted by our sin--unable to climb the stairway to heaven without assistance.  No, as St. Paul writes in our epistle, were DEAD in our trespasses and sins.  Caught in the trap of our own rebellion and pride--receiving the just reward for our sins of thought, word, and deed.
          But Jesus, with no thought to His own safety--willingly dove into the depths of your raging sin and death.  He rescued you and brought you back to life by breathing His life into you through His Word and Sacrament.  He gave up His life into death for you so that you might cleansed of all sin—furthermore, He had the great love and mercy to carry you into His kingdom of forgiveness and love and peace.
          This is the great joy of the Christian faith, beloved.  A joy that knows no end.  A joy that is to be shared with our neighbours--no matter who they are--where they may be.  You who have been humbled by God's Law--who have been shown the gravity of your sin and been led to repentance by the Spirit--have also been fully and completely lifted up by the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ--whose blood covers you with His righteousness and peace.  Who better now to share the peace, joy, and love of God with others than you? 
          This is our great task--our mission--and our joy!  To help those who are also trapped in the mire of their own sin and pride--to assist those caught up in the rat race to earn a piece of heaven with their own good works--to teach them that is not necessary.  That God Himself has worked to earn all people's salvation by sending His only-begotten Son to offer that one and perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world--by giving up His body and blood into death on the cross.  It is our pleasure to point people to Jesus--no matter who they are--what they have done--for as Jesus is for you--so He is for all people. 
          So beloved, take up the cry of St. Paul in Galatians 6:14, "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…"  It is a matter of pride, after all.  And you may take great pride in knowing the great love of God made manifest to you and to all people through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ who did humble Himself perfectly on the cross, earning your salvation.  That is your boast before a world filled with conceit and pride.  So that, by God's grace, all may hear and believe.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Trinity 10                                                                                                                                                August 8, 2021
Jeremiah 7:1-11
 
Abominable Worship
 
v.9-10         Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by name, and say, "We are delivered!"--only to go on doing all these abominations?
 
          Dear friends in Christ, the prophet Jeremiah had a problem--a big problem.  The Lord God of Israel told him in no uncertain terms that he needed to preach to the people of Judah.  That he needed to go right up to the temple gates--the church doors!--and deliver one of the most harsh and scathing rebukes of any prophet.  And this to a people who already had a history of killing the prophets whose words they didn’t care for.
          You see, the people of Judah had been engaging in all sorts of abominable activities in their daily lives: stealing, murder, adultery, lying, and even worship of false gods like Baal.  To make matters worse, after engaging in these sinful and horrendous activities, they would nonchalantly come to the temple to worship like it was no big deal.  The hypocrisy was evident.  The stench of it rose up to heaven and angered the Lord of hosts.  For He knows all--He sees all--and He cannot abide false and abominable worship.  The type of worshiper who trusts in deceptive words of false prophets, who believes they can get away with anything and the Lord will not hold them accountable.  Who with one breath utter praise and worship to Baal, and then in the next offer up a psalm of praise to Yahweh.  These people would learn the hard way that the Almighty God was not appeased by such abominable and hypocritical worship.  Indeed, He would wipe away the very temple in which they trusted and would slaughter many of the people, and lead the rest into captivity in the far away land of Babylon.
          We see this theme of false worship throughout all three of our texts for today.  Those Christians who would claim that it matters not how or who or what we worship that really matters need to take note.  Fore herein are some of the harshest words in all of Scripture.  Condemnation from God is never far away from those who falsely worship the most Holy God.
          We see in our text from Jeremiah that right doctrine/theology/worship goes hand in hand with right practices and living.  Those who were engaging in false worship were also oppressing the sojourner of the land, the fatherless, and the widow, neglecting justice and truth.  God commands them through Jeremiah to repent:  "Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place.  Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.'"
          So, we see that the Jews of Jeremiah's day had an even bigger problem.  For Judah was full of vice and idolatry--they slew the prophets--oppressed the people--broke God's holy Law--and yet refused to be rebuked for their unbelief and behaviour.  But before we get any further, dear friends, before we quickly thank God that we are not like the Jews of Jeremiah's day, let us shine the bright light of God's holy Law upon our own hearts and activities and examine our worship and life. 
          For we, too, share in this problem.  How often have we turned a blind eye to oppression and hatred in our own communities.  We are having our eyes opened to the harsh reality of the evil done in the First Nations Residential School systems.  We have failed to work as we ought to speak out for the unborn, the aged, and infirm.  We fail to uphold the true meaning of marriage when someone we care about and love lets us know that they are marrying someone of the same sex.  We grow quiet and scared, or we smile and nod and rejoice with them, failing to love them by calling them to repentance, thinking to ourselves, "Did God really say…?"  We have all fallen victim to the false idol of politics--thinking to ourselves that if only the right person or party is elected--if only the government would get its act together--then all would be good and wonderful--failing to trust in the Lord God above all things and in His Word of promise and hope given to us in Jesus Christ.   For all this and so much more we must repent. 
          For we continue in our sin by failing to love God and neighbour as we ought.  We steal from our employers, we are harsh with our employees, we are proud and arrogant Christians, and look down our noses at those whose theology is not so robust.  And what's worse is that we think nothing of these things when we walk into the Lord's house.  We humbly bow our heads and pray, we sing the songs with gusto, and then we walk out these doors and do it all over again!  Lord, have mercy upon us!
          You cannot hide from the Lord.  He sees all--your actions, your words, even the deepest, darkest secrets of your heart.  He knows it all.  He knows the abominable condition of your heart and of your worship and life.  For all this and so much more you are guilty before the Lord, just as Judah was in Jeremiah's day.
          What then is your hope?  What is the cure for your hypocritical and abominable false worship of the Lord?  That alone which can cover your sins--blot them out from the Lord's sight forever--the holy blood of Jesus Christ.  He is the God-Man--the very Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world, including that of our false worship of unholy living.  Trust not in the physical building, but in Jesus who is the very temple of the Lord made flesh.  Who allowed His body to be torn down on the cross on Good Friday, but who rebuilt it in the resurrection just three days later!
          Jesus' worship was always pure and holy.  His zeal led Him to cleanse the temple by casting out the thieves and robbers who had made their home in His house.  And Jesus' zeal for you is no less intense.  His love led Him to the cross whereby He suffered the full wrath and fury of God  for all of your sin.  Hell was unleashed upon the innocent flesh of Jesus--for you.  Your sins of thought, word, and deed were transferred to Him, and by faith His purity, His holiness, His righteousness is given to you and to all who believe. 
          For the innocent One's blood was shed on Calvary's cross to break the curse of sin, death, and the devil over you.  By Christ's suffering and death all of your sin is forgiven.  All of your deeds are cleansed and made pure and holy.  Now when the Lord God Almighty, Judge of all the universe, looks upon you, He does not see the great filth and contamination of your guilt and sin.  Instead, He sees only the pure and blessed holiness and righteousness of His beloved Son.  His own Spirit now moves you to worship in sincerity and truth and to live out your lives in His love and grace by showing mercy to your neighbours in all your vocations. 
          Trust not in the deceptive words of false prophets who would confirm you in your sin and unrighteousness.  Rather, trust in the true Word of God that fully condemns you and your sin, justly, but also gives you the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Trust in the words of Jesus who declares to you this day, through the mouth of a sinful man, "Your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit."  Trust the Word of God who baptized you into the same triune name to wash you clean of all your sin and to give you eternal life and salvation through Jesus.  And trust the Words of Jesus to you this day, "Take, eat, this is my body, given for you.  Take, drink, this is my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins." 
          As you grow and trust in these words of Jesus--you are truly delivered.  By the power of His cross and resurrection.  That is the truest and most holy worship of God:  repenting of your sin and trusting in Jesus to forgive that sin.  For He truly is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.  And by trusting in Him you are delivered.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.