​v.19b              For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
 
            Dear friends in Christ, our freedom means a lot to us.  Just a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated the births of our two nations and thanked God for the freedoms we enjoy while living in these lands.  Freedoms that were hard fought and won with much blood, sweat, and tears.  Because slavery was an ugly part of our history, we cringe at the thought of people being slaves—particularly ourselves!
            Which is why we may balk at the way in which St. Paul speaks to the church in the latter half of chapter 6 of his epistle to the Romans.  He says, in effect, "Don't be slaves to impurity/lawlessness (i.e. sin), but rather be slaves to righteousness."  Now the interesting thing here is that there is no non-slavery option being presented.  You are either a slave to sin and in rebellion against God, or you are a slave to righteousness (God)  and in rebellion against sin.  One or the other.  No in between.  No middle or neutral ground.  But make no mistake.  You are a slave.
            So then, why is St. Paul speaking in this way?  Well, he is actually answering a question that he asked earlier in v.15, "Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?  By no means!"  That is, "because we live under the grace and forgiveness of God in Jesus, why not just go and sin all the time?"   Earlier in chapter 6, which we heard expounded last week by Vicar Martin, we learned of the incredible riches and grace given to us in our Baptism into Christ Jesus.  That His death and resurrection have now become ours.  We have been set free from the dominion of sin, death, and the devil—all by virtue of our Baptism!  The danger for us Christians, then, is to think that we are now free to sin however we choose, because we are baptized and so God forgives us on account of Christ.  We are in His grace.  But this is wrong thinking.  For those who have been baptized into Christ have now died to sin and can no longer live in it.
            As unbelievers, apart from God's grace through faith in Christ, we presented our "members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness."  Even as baptized and redeemed children of God, our sinful flesh looks for opportunities to do this—to indulge our passions/desires/lusts, no matter if they are contrary to God's Word or not.  "I am free!  I live under grace!" we think to ourselves.  "So I can do what I wish, when I wish, with whomever I wish." 
            Beloved, this simply is not so.  Those who live and act that way are not living lives of faith in the Gospel of Christ, but rather lives of unbelief and impenitence, which leads only to death.  This is why I have been so disturbed by the recent Borderland Pride Week, which culminated in a cross-border parade yesterday, and a Pride Week church service being held today at Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Frances.  Make no mistake, beloved, we are ALL sinners in need of Christ's love and forgiveness.  But we as Christians are not to walk in sin—embrace it—present our bodies in its service—for that is slavery leading only to death and damnation.  Rather, we are to present our members—our bodies—as slaves to righteousness—following God's Word and will for our lives, no matter how difficult that may be.  For, being slaves of God, we receive "the fruit that leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life."
            Yet we see this same story played out time and time again, don't we?  People embracing sin outright as a good thing, either because they are pagans and don't believe in God or His Word anyway.  Or, more dreadfully, we see it within the façade of the church—wherein lawlessness masquerades as virtue—supposedly clinging to God's grace in Christ, while outright rejecting Christ's own Word.  But you cannot have both.  You cannot "have your cake and eat it too."  You are either a slave to sin:  your own passions/lusts/desires and that of the world and the devil, OR you are God's own baptized child and a slave to righteousness—doing the right thing because God demands/expects it—whether or not anyone else is watching.  We follow God's Word not because it is easy, but because it is true and right.  We Christians, people who have been bought with the blood of Jesus, cannot embrace our sin and hold it up before ourselves and others with pride and joy—and teach others to do the same with their sin—for this is against the clear Law of God.  And God's Law cannot be undone by our whims or the political correctness of the society around us.
            The truly sad thing about such situations is that people think they are free!  They believe they are doing the right thing and being faithful to God, even while they are blatantly denying and disavowing His clear Word!  And this applies not only to sins of a sexual nature, but of any kind whatsoever.  The lazy worker convinces himself that his conduct is not actually theft from his employer; the person speeding in the car is convinced that she is not sinning by breaking the speed laws, because she is a "good driver," therefore making it acceptable.  Beloved, NO!  We are to repent of these things and turn away from them, not being tied to them as slaves bound with chains, but rather be united to Christ with chains of love and mercy.
            In your Baptism, the old, sinful self was crucified and died along with Christ, and now you are fixed to Him with cords that cannot be broken, cords that have been forged with His own body and blood given into death on the cross for the forgiveness of all of your sins.   Now that "You have been set free from sin have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life."  Do you hear that, beloved?  You are free!  Free to keep God's Word—free to live holy and pleasing lives to God by the power of the Spirit working in you.  Free to love your neighbor selflessly and wholly, for you yourself have been loved wholly and completely by God in Christ Jesus.  His blood sanctifies you—makes you holy and clean and acceptable in the sight of the Father.  His blood washes over you and sets you free from the darkness and death that your sin ought to bring to you—all as a gift.  You work for sin, which leads only to death, but you are given life in Christ as a perfectly free gift.
            For Christ Jesus has borne your punishment, taken your death, received the just end of your sin.  All those secret sins of which you are ashamed—the ones you don't think anyone knows about—but which, of course, God is fully aware—the sins that keep you awake at night and cause you to cringe in fear at the wrath of God—those sins—every last one—have been completely paid for by the blood of Jesus poured out upon the cross—for you. 
            Now I know that our sin is often addicting.  And we run back to them as a dog runs back to its own vomit.  These are not easily thrown off.  Indeed, any addict will tell you that there is no freedom, but only slavery.  The alcoholic drinks not because he WANTS to, but because he HAS to.  Same with any addict.  Yet, this is no longer so for you sinners who are in Christ Jesus.  The bonds of sin have been loosed—forever broken by the power of Jesus' own death and resurrection.  Yes, "the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  He has died your death and now given you His everlasting life, which has set you free to be His slave—His righteous slave—acting in humble love and service to your neighbor—worshiping the Lord in Spirit and in truth.  Having been baptized into Christ, THIS IS WHO YOU ARE!  Will you still struggle with your addiction to sin and the slavery that brings this side of heaven?  To be sure.  But now, as a baptized child of God, full of the Holy Spirit and the faith that He gives, you are now a slave to righteousness—and more free than you have ever been.  Now, and forevermore.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.
           
             

​Martin Hill
St. Paul, Int’l Falls MN
Church of the Lutheran Hour, Ft. Frances ON
Sixth Sunday after Trinity
July 8, 2018
 
Romans 6:1-11 ESV
Today I want you to think about death. We’re quick to think about our own physical death, of grief, separation and pain. But Paul speaks to us today of a different death, of a death that is not physical, but one that takes place inside of you. It’s like a physical death in that it’s a separation, filled with pain and difficulty. But we find life in this death. Truly, this death is the only way to life.
BECAUSE JESUS’ DEATH BRINGS LIFE, OUR DEATH IN BAPTISM BRINGS LIFE.
Baptism doesn’t really seem like a death at first glance: we think of cute babbling babies, little shells, warm candle flames, all the family gathered around this precious child who has the water sprinkled on his head and squirms a little. We don’t see any visible violence, no gasping breath, and most of the time, no cries of pain. It’s easy to see life in this tender moment, but where is the death? Yet Paul insists in his epistle to the Romans, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death” (6:4). This death in Baptism is none other than the death of your old sinful self. When you look into the waters of Baptism, you look into the mouth of a tomb, a watery grave which drowned, choked, and killed your sin.
This death that takes place in Baptism is no less than a real death, because Jesus had no less than a real death. The death in Baptism connects us with and ties us into the death of Jesus. His death is our death; his crucifixion is our crucifixion; his burial is our burial. Paul asks, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (6:3). Our old self and our sin is taken up onto the cross and is crucified. The nails that are driven in to hold Jesus to the cross, hold your old Adam to the cross as well. It dies with Jesus. All this death and dying is brought to you in that simple and innocent washing in the Baptismal font. Jesus gives you his death.
Thank God the story doesn’t end there. Listen again to what Paul says: “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (6:5). In the same way that his death was your death, his resurrection is your resurrection. Everything that is his is yours. The waters of Baptism may be a tomb, yet it is the empty tomb of Easter morning: you are not dead, you are risen! We die in the font, and we emerge from the waters into new life, all within the few seconds of Baptism.
In this new life, you are adopted by the Heavenly Father who signs the papers and promises to care for you: you receive the forgiveness of sins, and the inheritance of life forever with your father. Your genealogy is quite simple: you are a child of God and a brother of Christ. Whoever you were is dead and no more, who you are now is all that you need to know.
Baptism is a glorious short moment in which all of these gifts are given to us, all prospects are bright, that baptized baby has a new life and a new name. But that was so long ago for most of us. You probably don’t even remember the day you were baptized. We’re told that we’re made children of God in Baptism; but, you might think, I sin so quickly and easily, Baptism probably didn’t work on me. Dear friends, we’re in the middle of a journey, in between the Baptismal beginning and the end when we enter into blessed eternity. We’re not yet what we will be. At the beginning of a long summer vacation trip, you’ve got the tunes bumping, chatting away with your copilot, the kids are happily snacking on cheerios, you’re fresh and ready to drive for hours on end. But halfway into that journey, nobody’s excited anymore, everyone’s irritable and short-tempered, you forget that you’ve got a warm bed and a nice dinner waiting for you at the end of the trip. Are we there yet? is the perfect question to ask. In the same way, it’s easy for us to forget the path that we are on and the promises ahead of us. Not only do we forget God’s promises ahead of us, we forget who we are as baptized children of God.
This is why Pastor says at the beginning of the service, “I invite you to join with me in making the sign of the cross in remembrance of our Baptism.” Remember the death that took place in your Baptism. Remember who you are as a child of God. When you are tempted, you must ask yourself, is this something that a baptized child of God would do? Would a child of God lie to her husband? Would a child of God ignore a needy friend? Would a child of God refuse to forgive a neighbor? Because being a child of God is not a relationship that happens half of the time, when we want it to. If you were to meet my father, and I told you, “I was his son” you would wonder what happened. Is he your father or not? You see, my identity is his son, and that’s not something that happens half of the time. I say, “I am his son” not “I was his son.” In the same way, you are a child of your heavenly Father. You don’t say “I was baptized” but “I am baptized.”
Without condition, God always calls us his children; we should live like it. Because our identity as his children is something that is challenged and defied every day. Of course, it’s challenged by the world, but most often it is challenged by you! By that old self that still lurks within your sinful flesh. There is a deep and intense battle within you, you know this battle: between the old you and the new you, the sinful you and the sanctified you. Paul says that “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (6:6). Knowing that you died with Christ, you don’t have to obey your old sinful self, because sin is no longer your master: you look to Jesus for how to live. Under Jesus, you live in your ongoing Baptism, drowning your old self every day, again and again. And this is the painful part of being a Christian, dying every day, every moment when sin comes knocking. When Paul says we are dead to sin, think of yourself like a corpse when sin comes knocking: it pokes you, it pushes you, but you do not move; you do not even listen. Because you know that your hope and trust is no longer in sin, but in Jesus Christ. We will fail this battle from time to time, but when we do, we know we are children of a Father who constantly forgives us and welcomes us back home.
            Death is not always a pleasant thing to think about. But for us, death is a positive thing: it is only the entrance into life. Because for us, Christ’s death was the doorway for us to enter in, through Baptism, to eternal life. The hymn-writer captures this perfectly: 
Jesus lives! And now is death
But the gate of life immortal;
This shall calm my trembling breath
When I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense:
Jesus is my confidence! (LSB 490)
Amen.
 
 
 
 

​ 
v.18   For the Word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, "You are all a bunch of fools!  Fools, I tell ya, fools!"  Such is the viewpoint of the unbelieving world.  They look at us Christians, with our beliefs regarding a simple Jewish carpenter from a remote part of a tiny province of the vast empire of ancient Rome, and they regard us as simpletons.  Dolts for believing that this Jesus was anything more than an ordinary man.  Idiots for thinking that He rose again after being crucified.  Crazy for believing that His death and supposed resurrection could possibly bring forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation to all those who simply trust in Him and His Word.  Stupid for believing that this same forgiveness won on the cross is given to people today through Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord's Supper.  I mean, come on!  Really?!  That's utter foolishness!
          "It is folly to believe that God exists, period," they say," let alone that a God would work faith and salvation in tiny babies through simple water and words."  That's ridiculous!  People want to see hard proof.  They want evidence of power and glory (much like the Jews of Paul's day that he was talking about in this letter).  "Show me the signs—show me the money—the power—the health—the glory—that this supposed God gives to His people—then I'll believe."  The Jews sought signs—like a major battle won against the Romans that would drive them from Jerusalem.  Now a God who could pull that off—well He would be worth believing in. 
          At the same time the Gentiles sought to dissect all religious belief through rigorous intellectual investigation.  Through careful study and learning they sought to gain wisdom of the world around them, which would enlighten them to some sort of afterlife.  People today seek wisdom in the great god of "science."  "If science says so—then it must be true.  You can only believe in what science can prove.  If it can't be proven scientifically, then it can in no way be true"  (failing to recognize, of course, that some of the most important and real things are not verifiable via the scientific method, such as love, guilt, joy, peace, and even their own most deeply held beliefs like macro evolution and the big bang).  They think very highly of their reason and sensibility to understand the universe and everything in it—thinking that anyone who doesn't believe as they do, must be an utter fool.  Much like those silly Christians who pour water over babies' heads in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and think that anything more goes on than just wetting the child's head.  "Forgiveness of sins?  Eternal life?  Salvation from the devil?  Ha!  Ridiculous!  There's no such thing."
          Yet, "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."  For God has declared, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."  God will not be dictated to on how to work salvation for His people.  To those who are perishing in unbelief, the message of salvation—the Word of the cross—is absolute folly.  It makes no sense.  "A Jewish carpenter-turned preacher from 2000 years ago, who was slaughtered by the Romans on a cross, is now risen from the dead?  And by His blood shed on that cross all of my sins—and the sins of the world—have been washed away and forgiven?  That's nuts!"  "But to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
          God's power is displayed in the perfect weakness of His Son hanging dead on the cross in your place and mine.  God's power is given through the humble means of simple water combined with His Word  of promise to wipe out the debt of sin and usher people (young and old) into His glorious kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ.  God's power is received via tiny portions of bread and wine wherein the body and blood of Jesus is really present in order to forgive sins in those who take it into their mouths with faith in Christ's Word of promise.  All of these signs connected to one particular cross upon which Jesus was crucified in a specific Jewish town on a particular afternoon in real history.
          To be sure, the "Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom" just as people today, but we, the church, continue to "preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."  For it is in the preaching of the cross of Christ that God works salvation in the hearts of all those who believe, St. Paul says.  It may seem utter foolishness to the unbelieving world around us, but we persist, for this is the manner in which God has promised to save people—through the seemingly foolish Word of Christ crucified for sinners.  But remember, "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
          You, beloved, have been saved through such ridiculous preaching and action on God's part.  He has used sinful men such as myself and countless others, going all the way back to the apostles, to save those who believe.  We ought not be surprised that unbelievers act and believe like unbelievers.  Nor ought we look for gimmicks or tricks to entice people into the kingdom of heaven.  Rather, we are to trust in the sure and certain Word of God given to us in our ears, poured out in water upon our heads, and placed directly into our mouths.  This Word of God that gives us Jesus dead on the cross for the forgiveness of all of our sins.  This promise of life everlasting and salvation from the hand of the dreaded evil one.  Knowing that in Christ Jesus—through faith in Him—we are recipients of the wisdom and strength of God, which is far wiser and stronger than that of men.
          Dear friends, trust in Him.  Trust in the foolishness of God that gives you Jesus dead on the cross and risen to new life for the forgiveness of your sins.  For He is far wiser than any man and He has called you to faith and life through this weak, and seemingly foolish word.  Rejoice in your foolishness.  For it is God's greatest gift to you.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Martin Hill
St. Paul, Int’l Falls MN
Church of the Lutheran Hour, Ft. Frances ON
Fourth Sunday after Trinity
June 24, 2018
 
Luke 6:36-42 ESV
 
You’ve heard the phrase “Don’t judge.” The phrase is everywhere in society, you’ll hear it the second you begin to voice your thoughts or opinions: “Don’t judge!” Ironically, society echoes the words of Jesus, but it blows it out of context, making any judgment evil. Society throws the words of Jesus back in the face of the Church any time a Christian speaks the truth of God’s law, they reply sneering, “Don’t judge!” We know this extreme can’t be right. We know that God has placed us each into certain offices in life—whether that be father, or mother, teacher, policeman, pastor, or neighbor—and our specific offices in life require that we judge when we are called to do so.
            Imagine you’re coming back across the bridge from Canada and as you’re waiting patiently in line at the border crossing, you hear screeching tires as a speeding van pulls out of line and rips past you. Without stopping, the van totally ignores the waiting line and the border crossing, and it just plows through a closed lane and bursts through onto American soil, tearing through International Falls and is gone. Nobody moves. As you pull up, astonished, to the border crossing station, you ask the border agent why nobody pursued the runaway van that pretty obviously and illegally crossed the border. The agent answers, “Hey man, we don’t want to judge.” We do judge when we are called to. When we don’t, society unravels into absolute chaos and disorder.
            You see that “don’t judge” can easily turn into an excuse to be lazy, to turn away from our vocations. God has called that border agent to ensure the safety of the nation. His calling requires him to judge the people that pass over the border. God has called the parent to judge and the child to submit to judgment. A father should be checking up on his kids, asking what they’re learning in school, telling them what is right and what is wrong. When your kid does something wrong, he should be disciplined and judged. Likewise, God has called the pastor to shepherd his people, to both give and withhold forgiveness. God created these offices and puts people in charge to keep order and stability within the nation, the family, and the church.
However, in our Gospel reading for today, Jesus tells us that these judgments must be made in humility and mercy, that we should forgive as we have been forgiven, that we should give as we have been given. 
WE DON’T JUDGE OTHERS WITHOUT MERCY BECAUSE OUR FATHER HAS NOT JUDGED US WITHOUT MERCY.
            So then, the question becomes, what is our attitude and our motivation when we judge? Because the natural inclination for us is to become like the Pharisees in our judgment, to become self-righteous and superior. Perhaps you see someone who’s not disciplining their child exactly as you would, and you think to yourself, “Well if that were my child, I would…” And because you think you know more about being a parent then they do, because you think you are a better parent than they are, you step over to the parent and let them know, “When they’re acting like that, you’ve really got to be no-nonsense.” You see, when we begin to pry into everybody’s life, we begin to develop a savior complex of helping the world out; and in your mind, the only way to help the world out is to give it your advice.
            Jesus calls us out on this in today’s reading, using the absurd example of people walking around with logs stuck in their eyes. Listen again to the question he asks: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.” (Luke 6:41-42). We often make it our job to be speck-searchers while the logs are spilling out of our eyes. We’re blinder than bats and yet we search out others to tell them they’re going the wrong way. “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?” (Luke 6:39) The real danger with this blindness isn’t that it makes us look silly; the danger with the blindness is that it blinds our eyes to the fact that we have sins too, and that these sins need forgiveness. What we truly need is someone who can come and clear all the logs out of our eyes, and give us sight again.
            There is only one who can clear these logs out of our eyes, because he is the only one with clear vision, the only one without a single log in his eyes. Jesus went to the cross in order to remove the logs from our eyes, even though our eyes continually produce these logs day in and day out. We deserved to be judged by God Almighty for our countless faults; yet Jesus came and took our place before the judgment seat. We can imagine the weight of our sin by the gravity of the judgment: picture the hour of judgment, thick with its heavy clouds of darkness and rejection, the cries of pain and death coming from that cross on Mount Calvary. We who should have been judged stand under the cross and are passed over. Jesus came to forgive and has shown mercy on your sins and on your neighbor’s sins. In Jesus, we have been released from judgment, we are freed.
How can we not give as we have been given? How can we not forgive as we have been forgiven? Jesus tells us that you have been given “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over” (Luke 6:38). It’s like when you go to the ice cream stand and ask for a single scoop cone, and the ice cream man takes his scoop and tucks one scoop into the bottom of the cone and packs it down, then puts another scoop on top, then another, and another, until the ice cream is towering over, ready to fall onto the pavement if you don’t eat it quickly enough. One scoop?! You expect to get charged for five scoops for that towering cone, because you’ve got more than enough, good measure, running over. In the same way, the Father has given you far more than you need. His forgiveness covers any and every sin that you could imagine, great or small. And he doesn’t stop there with his love and care: he washes us clean in Baptism and calls us his own children, and he continually feeds us his body and blood at the altar. [We witnessed this very thing this morning in the baptism of Kannon, who was washed clean at the font, a font whose waters overflowed in good measure, running over. Through the Holy Spirit, and because of the atoning death of the Son, Kannon has been made a child of the Father. With a sprinkling of water on his head, combined with the Word, Kannon has been released from judgment and clothed with the white garment of purity, thanks be to Jesus Christ.]
            Dear friends, how can we not give as we have been given, how can we not forgive as we have been forgiven? Let us be humble, knowing that Jesus was humble. Let us be merciful, knowing that our Father was merciful. Let us forgive, knowing that we have been forgiven. We speak the truth when we are called to do so, but we always speak the truth in love. And when we stand before Christ the Judge on the final day, our knees will bow and tongues confess him as God and Lord, He who was judged for us, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
 
 
 
 

Martin Hill - Vicar
St. Paul, Int’l Falls MN
Church of the Lutheran Hour, Ft. Frances ON
Third Sunday after Trinity

 
 
Luke 15:11-32 ESV
 
            How fitting that on Father’s Day, we hear a parable about a father. It’s a familiar parable to us, the story of the wayward prodigal son and of his forgiving father. The prodigal son isn’t a huge surprise, running off and wasting all of his money, that’s well-known enough; but it’s the father that causes us to pause and think. The father of this parable acts in a radical and astonishing way and it’s these actions that make him a truly perfect father. The foremost thought in his mind is caring for his children, and with them, he is reckless in his forgiveness and extreme in his grace. While this father is a good example for men to follow, Jesus uses it in today’s Gospel reading to describe how God our Father looks toward us. When we were lost and dead in our sins, and far away from him, He came running to us as the father in the parable.  
WHILE WE WERE STILL A LONG WAY OFF, THE FATHER SENT JESUS TO US.
The prodigal son stuffs his father’s money in his pockets, says his goodbyes, and turning, he sets his face away from home and toward freedom, the freedom of bright city lights, pretty women, never-ending parties. With each step, his mind swirls with the excitement of finally getting out and seeing the world. And with each step, his broken-hearted father watches the figure of his beloved son fade into the distance.
            A couple weeks down the road, the son scolds himself for not having left earlier; he has a group of hilarious friends with him out on the town, he has several lovely women whose doors are always open to him, he’s popular, rich, and everybody wants to be his friend. He’s somebody. And why shouldn’t we want the same thing for ourselves? The prodigal son here is the pinnacle of success, a man to be interviewed for his secrets, a man to write self-help books. We are urged to follow the steps of the prodigal son, to become popular and well-loved, rich and admired by others. Besides, the way is enjoyable. So, we leave the home of our Father and caving in, we join the prodigal son on the road of pleasure, giving in to our sexual desires, gratifying our hunger for things, our hunger for a good time, our hunger for wealth and power. And for a while, we stand side by side with the prodigal son, smiling silly, happy with the ease and fun of life. 
            But it all comes crashing down and reality sets in. Hard times come, and suddenly you have no friends around you, no fame, no money. Only after all is said and done can you look back and see that these things were an illusion, a chasing after the wind. For the prodigal son, he could only see his bullheaded vanity as he lay in the muck of the pig pen. He who had many friends and was well- loved, “was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything” (15:16).
            And so the prodigal son, lying in the mud, comes to his senses. With his heart wrenched and his stomach hungry, he repents of his sinful living. Listen to the way that he repents: “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants’” (15:18-19). He recognizes that his sinful ambitions were against heaven and against his father. He recognizes that he should not have abandoned his father, that he should not have left home in order to live the fun life, wasting away his father’s money. Such a confession and repentance is much like the confession we made at the beginning of the service: we have sinned in thought, word, and deed. Forgive us, Father.
Homeward, then we turn. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (15:20). The incredible part is that “while he was still a long way off his father saw him.” This means that the father has been waiting and watching, looking far down the road, looking for that lost son of his who he thought was dead. But even so, the father did not give up hope. “While he was still a long way off,” means that the father had no hesitations or reservations about welcoming back his wayward son; he didn’t wait for his son to get closer, he didn’t even wait for his son to apologize and spit out his well-rehearsed confession before he had thrown his arms around his neck and kissed him. Sheer happiness overwhelms the old man and he runs. He nearly ignores his son’s insistence that he has sinned and doesn’t deserve being called his son, because he’s so busy telling the servants to get his best robe and ring and to ready the feast. “While he was still a long way off” means that the son never stopped being a son. This son who was lost has been found, this son who was dead is alive.  
Dear friends, while we were still a long way off in our sin, our Father saw us and felt compassion. He has run to us and embraced our human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus who walked among us, the prodigal sons, and lived the life we live, suffered the pains we suffer, wept, hungered, and faced sharp temptations. Yet this one Son was everything we could not be. When we were lost and sinful sons, Jesus was the perfect obedient Son. So that we could receive the best cloak, rings for our fingers, sandals for our feet, a fattened calf and a feast filled with music and dancing, so that we could receive these gifts, Jesus received the punishment and shame that belonged to the prodigal son, yes the punishment and shame of the cross. The wrath and fury God poured out on Jesus truly belonged to all the prodigal sons of the world, of which we are all numbered. You were dead, but now you are alive. You were lost, but now you are found. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). God shows his love for us in that while we were still a long way off, he came running, running to us in the person of his perfect and obedient Son, Jesus Christ.
Our Father is not a passive father who waits for us to come to him. He has actively sought us out, he has actively sought each of you out. He has searched long for you and paid a great price for you, because you are his children. He has embraced you and ushered you into the feast where you eat his own body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. As if the grand welcoming home wasn’t enough, he piles grace upon grace into your open hands and bids you eat. Though we will continue to wander from time to time, the Father time and time again welcomes us home. This is a father who continues to care for you, giving you his word and sacraments, which will guard you and keep you until you make it at last to life everlasting. And this is perhaps one of the greatest gifts: to dwell in the house of the Father forever, no more to wander, but to be cherished as beloved children, thanks be to Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
            

​v.14 & 16   For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility…and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, we see it all the time.  We feel it in our own hearts.  We experience it in our own homes and communities.  Hostility.  Hostility that breeds division, discord, and harmony.  Hostility that leads to broken relationships, hate mongering, and even violence, at times.  You have seen the racial slurs hurled at those who are different on CNN news and social media.  You have witnessed the way people try to distance themselves from those they do not like, casting aspersions and epithets from a safe distance, perhaps behind a computer screen or smartphone.  Perhaps you have done so yourself.  At the very least, we have all thought sinful, hostile, negative thoughts about those who are different—those who are not like us—in the deepest darkness of our own wicked hearts, thereby giving evidence to the sin within us.
          Sadly, this kind of animosity and hostility that we see on the news and experience in our personal lives, is not limited to public places, communities, or our own homes, but even finds its way into the church.  Such is the situation that St. Paul is addressing in our epistle reading for today.  You see, the congregation at Ephesus, like many in the early church, was a rather mixed bag, composed of both Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity.  These two groups, with a longstanding hatred and distrust for one another, did not always immediately get along.  They fought about food, about worship practices, about ceremonial traditions, and so many things.
          In speaking to this situation, St. Paul teaches that this is not to be the way of the Christian.  For we were all, at one time, prior to faith and Baptism, separated from Christ.  This was particularly true of the Gentiles of Paul's day who had no connection to the covenant promises of God, like the Jews had enjoyed.  Today, we in the church may look with fear or distrust or even outright hostility to those who are not in the church, or are new believers.  We may even turn a blind eye to opportunities to witness to our faith, not thinking the other person is always "worth it," being too far gone—too much in the depths of sin and unbelief.  Yet the words of St. Paul echo in our ears, "now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility…"
          Did you hear that, beloved?  All those who are by nature far off, enemies of God according to our sinful flesh, have now, by God's grace, been brought near to God and been given peace with both God and each other through the blood of Jesus!  That includes you and me!  For the blood of Christ forgives sins and removes the barrier that separates us from God.  Now, having been reconciled to God by faith in Jesus Christ and His bloody sacrifice, we have also been granted peace with each other through that same holy and precious blood poured out on the cross.
          Our sin sometimes seems like an overwhelming barrier, preventing us from having access not only to God the Father, but also from being reconciled to one another.  Sin—the sin of others against us—or our sins against them—looms ever large before us—blotting out the sun, as it were—so huge and impenetrable a wall.  A wall filled with hostility and anger and hatred and scorn directed against our neighbor—and even against God Himself. 
          Thanks be to God that Christ Jesus has come!  St. Paul says that Jesus has broken down this tremendous dividing wall of hostility in His own flesh.  Flesh that was pierced for your transgressions.  Flesh that was torn for your iniquities.  Flesh that died in your place.  The cross of Christ lands a hammer blow to this dividing wall of hostility and smashes it to tiny bits—removing every barrier between us and God—and even restoring peace between us and our neighbor.  For having been reconciled before God for the enormous debt of sin—how can we not now extend that same forgiveness and peace to those who have sinned against us? 
          This wall of hostility is not just knocked down a little bit, but has been killed!  Christ took that hostility that separated you from God and each other, and He didn't just cage it up, or poke a hole through it, by which we might climb to the other side.  No, this wall of enmity and malice, that had a life of its own within your heart, Jesus has taken into Himself and died for it all on the cross—thereby killing it, once and for all.
          So that now, we are no longer separated from God or one another.  Indeed, by the one body of Christ crucified we have now been reconciled both to God and one another.  God be praised!  He has brought peace to those far off and those who are near (lifelong Christians and recent converts alike).  So we now look at each other not as strangers or aliens, those to be feared and viewed with hostility as being different from us, but rather as fellow citizens of the kingdom of heaven, members of the household of God.
          For all of us have been brought together by the healing, life-giving, peace restoring Gospel of Jesus, preached to us by both the apostles and the prophets in the Word of God.  We are joined together now, as the body of Christ, into the building of the holy church.  The church, which has Christ Jesus as her cornerstone and foundation upon which we are all built and cemented together, as one brick upon another.  Joined, not by earthly mortar, but by the precious blood of Christ poured out on the cross for sinners like you and me. 
          Having been brought near to God and each other by the blood of Jesus into the holy church, you ARE a holy temple in the Lord—together—as the church—you are being built into a dwelling place for God by the Holy Spirit. 
          How?  Why?  Look at the sins we have committed!  Look at the sin in our own hearts!  How could we now possibly be made into something so wonderful and precious as a dwelling place for the most high God?  Not by our works, but by the work of Jesus.  You are no longer a wall of hostility to keep people away, but rather are now a people open to others, sharing in their pain and heartache and sorrow.  We cry out against injustice, while welcoming all people—no matter who they are, where they have been, or what they have done.  For the blood of Jesus washes over and cleanses from all sin.  For you…for me…for all.  This holy blood binds us together as brothers and sisters in Christ, forged in the crucible of the cross, we are now one.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.