​Advent 1 - Ad Te Levavi                                                                                                                                December 3, 2023
Romans 13:8-14
 
Walking in the Light…of Love
 
V.13a                   Let us walk properly as in the daytime…
 
          Dear friends in Christ, blessed New Year to all of you! Yes, indeed, today marks the beginning of the season of Advent in the church year–a whole new year!--delightfully out of step with the secular world.  Advent means “coming” and is a special time of penitential reflection in the life of the church as we not only prepare to remember our Lord Jesus’ first coming in His birth at Christmas, but also know that as He once came, so He will come again–to Judge the living and the dead.  This is a continuation from the way we ended the church year last week with a focus on Christ's imminent return as He promised.  So, even as we remember with joy how Jesus came in humble meekness–born of the Virgin Mary in a lowly stable–yet we are also mindful that He will come again–as the Victorious Lord–to forever end the darkness of sin and death that so cloud our broken world. 
          St. Paul is picking up on this theme in our epistle reading for today.  His rather lengthy letter to the church at Rome is drawing to a close.  He has written extensively about the righteousness that belongs to the Christian by faith in Jesus alone as Lord and Saviour–and that this is for all people who believe–Jew or Gentile.  As the letter draws to a close, Paul directs our attention as to how the righteous (those made righteous through faith in Jesus–Christians) are to live their lives as living sacrifices within the Body of Christ, but also how we are to subject ourselves to the governing authorities that God has instituted. Paul now breaks in with the strong admonition that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.
          Indeed, he writes, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the Law.”  So we see that love is the fulfillment of the Law of God.  Paul particularly mentions some of the commandments from the Second Table of the Law that deal with our neighbor.  He continues, “For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
          Why is this so important?  Are we not made righteous purely through faith in Jesus Christ and not by works of the Law?  Yes, we are!  But those who have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus now want to live and to love as Christ our Lord would have us.  Paul is encouraging us Christians to do good works.  How? By following the Ten Commandments.  How do we fulfill them? Through love.  Putting others before ourselves, rather than walking in the darkness of sin and the selfish desires of our flesh.
          Beloved, Jesus is coming soon!  “Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”  Christ’s death and resurrection have provided salvation for us through faith in Him, but He will come again and lead us to experience it yet more fully in the New heavens and the New earth that He will usher in at His Second appearing. So, “the hour has come for you to wake from sleep!”  Wake up, beloved!  “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” 
Jesus’ return is drawing nearer each and every day.  Do not dwell in the works of your flesh–your selfish natures that seek only your own personal good and the gratification of your desires. Rather, cast them off!  Throw them away!  Do not cloak yourselves in the temptations of your own perverted flesh–do not succumb to the siren call of the devil and his evil horde–do not bend to the pressures of the unbelieving world around you.  Instead, put on the armor of light that is yours through faith in Jesus Christ: fasten the belt of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, have the gospel of peace as shoes for your feet, take up the shield of faith, along with the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  Thus armed and armored, you now heed His call to faithfulness and perseverance by the Light of His Word of Truth and Grace. 
As Paul urges, “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”  Beloved, remember your Baptism! Remember who you are in Christ Jesus: a redeemed and forgiven child of God–one who has been washed clean of all sin and who has been clothed in Christ’s own perfect righteousness!  You belong to Jesus!  How can you walk in darkness when you are clothed in the One who is Light incarnate!  It cannot be. 
And so we Christians turn away from the sexual deviances of our day, no matter what form they may take, instead honoring the gift of marriage between one man and one woman.  We preserve and advocate for the sanctity of all human life–from the tiniest embryo in the womb–to the elderly and disabled–and everyone in between.  We do not take that which the Lord has not given to us, but rejoice in His generosity to all people, especially how He uses us to serve those who are in any need. 
I know, beloved, I know how tempting it is to sneak into the darkness every now and then–to give in to our base desires–to satisfy the wants of our flesh in thought, word, and deed.  But Christ Jesus has called you out of the darkness and into His marvelous light!  Each week throughout this season of Advent, we will light yet another candle on our Advent wreath–marking the approach of the celebration of Christmas when He who is the Light of the World took on human flesh and dwelt among us.  Each week, another candle is lit, and yet more light will shine forth until Christmas Eve when that fifth and final candle–the white Christ candle at the center–is lit in joyful exuberance of our Lord’s coming to us. 
Receive Jesus’ light each and every day as you immerse yourself in His Word that not only guides you into the truth of what is right and wrong, but also reminds you of God’s work of salvation on your behalf through the suffering of the Lord Jesus on the cross, who is the Lord our Righteousness.  Come, this day, and partake of His body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar that you may be fed and nourished with the light of His love–strengthened to resist the darkness both around you and inside of you.  Rejoice in His mercy and forgiveness that He freely gives to you in this blessed meal.  He who is Light itself will drive the darkness of sin and death from your hearts by the power of His redeeming grace and Spirit.
And when you DO give in and are overwhelmed by the darkness–come to me, your pastor, and confess those sins which so darken your heart and mind.  Come and be absolved–forgiven–by the Word and Command of Jesus–and rejoice in the power of the light of Jesus to overcome even the darkest of sins.
Furthermore, dear friends, remember that when you are baptized, you receive a lighted candle from our Baptismal candle–indicating the light of Christ that shines in your hearts that have been cleansed by the healing tide of Baptism through water and the Word of promise in Jesus.  Enkindle that light in your heart each and every day by simply making the sign of the holy cross and remembering your Baptism in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 
The love of God has been made manifest to you in the Person and work of Jesus on the cross–and has been gifted to you, personally, in God’s Word and Sacrament.  Rejoice, therefore, with great joy!  For you are indeed children of the Light!  Children of the heavenly Father through faith in Jesus Christ your dear brother, who is the Light and Life of the world to come.  For He descended into the darkness of your sin and death on the cross so that He might rise in victory three days later–all for you!  And so now you forever and always walk in the light of His forgiving and healing love.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.   

Last Sunday of the Church Year
November 26, 2023 Matthew 25:1-13
Preparing for the Unknown
v.13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
​Dear friends in Christ, the Boy and Girl Scouts have a motto: Be Prepared – which means you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty – having disciplined oneself to be obedient, and thought out beforehand any situation that might occur, so you know the right thing to do at the right moment and are willing to do it, as well as making oneself strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and do it, no matter how extreme the situation may be. That’s a good motto. There is certainly nothing wrong with being prepared. In fact, this is exactly what Jesus is telling us in our text this day. This parable comes in one of Jesus’ final public teaching sessions on Tuesday of Holy Week. He knows what is ahead—He knows what He will soon face—the terrible judgement of God for all sin. And so He tells a series of parables concerning the Last Day, when He will come again – to Judge the living and the dead as the Mighty Judge of all, which is where our text comes in. Of course, there are all sorts of theories out there concerning the end of the world – it seems that every year Hollywood manages to come up with another story about the end of the world, which seems to bring in the masses—people like 2 to be scared, don't they? To this day, there are many who try to pinpoint the exact date and time when Christ will return – for example, the end times' prediction relating to supposed "blood moons" or super planets coming to crash into the earth—yet, we are still here. All these End Times prophecies continue to be wrong. For Jesus Himself tells us quite plainly that no one, “knows neither the day nor the hour.” He says in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Yet, even though, or rather, BECAUSE, no one knows the day nor the hour, Jesus urges all to keep watch and to be prepared. Now, have you ever tried keeping watch for something and struggled to maintain your focus while waiting for a long, long....long time? It’s enough to drive one crazy. Five minutes seems like five hours and so on and so on. It’s like the old saying that a watched kettle never boils – it just takes forever. And so our minds wander from one thing to the next. In speaking of His coming on the Last Day, Jesus likens it to a wedding feast, which He often does. This is what it will be like...THEN, Jesus says. And He speaks of the bridal party – 10 virgins – who are waiting for the bridegroom to come. You see, back in Jesus’ day weddings were far different than they are now. After attending to the bride for most of the day, the attendants (the virgins) would then proceed to the edge of town to be on the lookout for the groom. You see, 3 unlike today where everything revolves around the bride, back then it was the groom who called all the shots – the wedding party couldn’t start until he arrived. Usually, this would have been around 6 in the evening. So, the virgins would take out their little hand held oil lamps in order to light the way. These lamps didn’t hold much oil, but that was OK because the groom would be there shortly after dark and they would all proceed to the bride’s house to pick her up and then go to the party. And please note here that all the virgins—all 10—are invited—both wise and foolish—they all have a place at the wedding banquet—they all have a spot with their name engraved on it. All their lamps are lit—everything is ready. Unfortunately, the groom is delayed. 6 o’clock rolls around and he is nowhere in sight...7 o’clock—still waiting...by 8 o’clock they are all dead on their feet (having been up since before dawn)...and by 9 o’clock they are all asleep. Then it happens! Out of the blue the cry goes up that the bridegroom approaches at long last! What time is it? It’s midnight! The most unreasonable time for a wedding to take place—but, nevertheless He comes. That’s when the virgins discover to their horror that their lamps have been burning all night and their oil has run out. Now the wise brought out their extra oil (which they carried along even though it seemed rather foolish to do so—why would they ever need so much oil?) and their lamps are fine–they are prepared for the unexpected. The 4 foolish virgins, however, are out of luck—no oil left—and where might they buy some at this time of night? They quickly hurry off to try and find some more, but once they return the groom has already come and gone and the door to the wedding hall is shut tight. They knock and pound on the door furiously shouting to be let in—after all, they were in the wedding party! They have invitations and a place reserved inside. But from the other side of the door, the groom replies to their pleas to open with the terribly sad words, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” Watch. Be prepared. Wise. Foolish. How are we to make sense of all this? First of all, it is important to remember that Jesus says this is what the kingdom of heaven will be like...Then... not now. This is a picture of the future judgement. Secondly, throughout Scripture, wise and foolish are often used to describe believers and unbelievers. Indeed, Psalm 111:10 simply says, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Jesus’ Second coming is rather an important event in human history, wouldn’t you say? And yet, how foolishly we treat His approach. People in the world and the church forsake His Word, ignore it, thinking they have much time to prepare—but they know not the hour nor the day. That is the way of unbelief. It foolishly figures to have time, and lots of it – think they have God all figured out—giving them at least another day—only to discover on the Last Day that they had it all wrong. 5 Indeed, we see in this parable that oil represents faith that has been nurtured by the grace of God in Word and Sacrament—and shines forth brightly in the good works of the saints. Those who try to “buy” it are in for a big surprise. Trying to get into the kingdom of heaven by buying it with their own works and righteousness apart from faith is a foolish thing to do – for they will only receive the cold words of Jesus—I do not know you. So many people try to be like the Scouts, prepared by the things that they do—which works well for the Scouts and the rest of the world in terms of the things of this life—but is actually harmful when talking about the next life. For, as sinful human beings, we cannot prepare to meet Jesus at His second coming—we could not care less. Rather, we must be prepared by the Lord Jesus Himself to enter in His kingdom. In Ephesians 5, another place where the kingdom of heaven is pictured as a bride waiting for her husband, Paul says, “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Through the means of grace God has worked faith in our hearts—filling us up to the brim with the oil of gladness in the Saviour—who lived, suffered, died, and rose again for us. We are prepared by the One who was prepared for us. 6 Prepared as a sacrifice for our sin. He was laid out as a sheep for the slaughter—so that He might take our sin into His flesh and die for it on the cross—being raised again to new and everlasting life three days later in triumph. Therefore, as Christians, His people, filled with His righteousness and light, we are fully and completely prepared for His coming. We have nothing to fear, but can rest in peace, knowing that He holds us in His merciful hands. For through faith in Him we have been granted entrance into the eternal wedding feast where we will rejoice in our Saviour God for all time. Though it seems to the world that we are foolish, getting up early on Sunday mornings, giving of our time, talents, and treasures to One who apparently does not come and will seemingly never get here, yet to all who call upon Him in faith—those who have been baptized into His name—prepared by eating His body and blood in bread and wine—confessing our sins and receiving His forgiveness through our pastors—God says we are wise. Wise unto salvation, prepared by the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sin of the world. The Gospel is the wisdom of God for the salvation of all who believe. And it is here in His church that He prepares us with His Word and Sacrament, cleansing us from all sin, marking us as His own, clothing us in the garment of His grace and purity, receiving life and light eternal. So, beloved, fear not the unknown time and appearing of our Lord Jesus’ Second Coming. He has filled your hearts with the bright flame of faith in Jesus worked by the Holy Spirit–thus you are well prepared to meet Him whenever He returns. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.

​Thanksgiving Eve
November 23, 2023 Deuteronomy 8:1-10
Suffering Thankfully
v.3 And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Dear friends in Christ, a very blessed Thanksgiving to you all!
​Truly, we have much to be thankful for, don't we? Indeed, without too much effort, we could probably fill pages and pages of things for which are thankful--bountiful blessings we have received from the Lord. Indeed, Dr. Luther enumerates quite a list for us in his explanation to the First Article of the Apostles' Creed, when he writes: "God has made me and all creatures; He has given m e my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil…" Wow. Quite a list. And, amazingly, even with all those good gifts of God, we could still add even more: good government, nice weather, peace, cars and snowmobiles, hunting and fishing, electronics and more…and we dare not forget to give thanks for indoor plumbing! Yet, with all these gifts--all these manifold 2 blessings from the Lord--there are still times when we just don't feel very thankful. In fact, sometimes we are incredibly angry and upset with God. You know. You have felt this in your own hearts as well. Despite the blessings--despite the gifts of family and friends, clothes and food, and things--we just don't feel like giving thanks. Such was the case for the Israelites in our text. They had been delivered from dreadful bondage and slavery in Egypt by the Almighty hand of the Lord. He had graciously sustained them throughout their 40 years of wilderness wanderings--yet, they weren't always thankful. Just like you and me. Many of us--many of our family and friends--feel this way. Particularly when we suffer. Perhaps it is financial stress that is eating away at you. "How am I going to put on that fancy Thanksgiving dinner? How am I supposed to buy all the presents that I want to give when my credit cards are still maxed out from last year? How can I survive in my retirement when my savings just don't cover my expenses?" We feel it in our hearts in terms of our relationships with family and friends. Things aren't going well at home. "There is too much fighting--too much hardship--too much stress. Not to mention the boss is breathing down my neck at work and I've got a bunch of incompetent coworkers!" Perhaps, worst of all, however, is when health issues arise--either personally or when our loved ones are 3 afflicted--wasting away before our very eyes--and we are powerless to stop it. How can we be thankful then? How are we to be thankful when all we really want to do is scream and shout in frustration and anger toward God. "What's the big idea God? We are your followers! Why would you let this happen? Why are you allowing me to suffer like this?" Don't you think any of the 10 lepers ever asked themselves that same question? Why should they be afflicted? Why should they have to suffer like that? What about the Israelites in the wilderness? Why, after all the trouble God went through to get them out of Egypt, would He now keep them hungry? Why should they suffer in that way? Well, we find the answer to that in our text. "And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna…that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." So…God allows us to hunger--to suffer--so that in this life we may learn that we do not live by bread alone--all these good First Article gifts of God: government, spouse, children, toys, tvs, cars, and cabins--but rather that we live by the Word of God--the Second Article gift of Christ Jesus the Lord--the very Word of God made flesh who has come to redeem us from our sin. This Word of God humbles us to see what our true needs are--not the 60" LED flatscreen TV on sale at Best Buy for $399. Rather, we see that in the end--all of these good gifts of God pass away--tvs fade and break, cars break down, 4 even our family and friends--and our own bodies--die. We have nothing left to put our hope or trust in, EXCEPT God's Word to us--that which is truly everlasting--Jesus. Our true needs as sinners, ultimately, are not new houses, bigger or better cars, or even a joyful and peaceful Thanksgiving dinner with close family and friends. No, indeed, our needs as sinners can only be met by God Himself coming to us in human flesh and bleeding and dying for us on the cross to take away our sin. Christ Jesus, with His innocent suffering and death, has taken care of your greatest need and given to you pardon and peace by His shed blood. And it is your faith in Christ, beloved, this simple trust in Jesus' work for you--that gives you cause to praise and thank God, no matter what you are going through: whether you are facing plenty or hunger, abundance or need. The work of Christ has redeemed you and set you free from this life of suffering and death and brought you into light and life eternal. This is why suffering can be so good for us. It is helpful to strip away all the non-essentials and distractions of this life and put things into proper perspective. What matters most is Jesus. Always Jesus. His dying and rising, which means that our own dying is not the end. This is why we give thanks to God--not just in the midst of suffering--but actually FOR our suffering. For in our sufferings we are 5 brought nearer to Christ by the Holy Spirit. We focus on Him and all He has done for us in gaining for us forgiveness, life, and salvation. In the end--the final end--our death--and the Last Day--the true and final end of the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting--what matters most--what we are most thankful for--will not be the Turkey dinners at Thanksgiving with family and friends--nor will it be the wondrous gifts left for us under the Christmas tree. No, indeed, what matters most--is Jesus. His blood. His life. For you. Truly, thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen

​Trinity 24                                                                                                                                           November 19, 2023
Matthew 9:18-26
 
The Power of Touch
 
v.18-21       While He was still saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”  And Jesus rose and followed Him, with His disciples.  And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will be made well.”
 
          Dear friends in Christ, touch is incredibly important.  In fact, it is vital for each and every single one of us.  Personal touch by another human being is a basic human need.  Indeed, research shows that babies in orphanages who do not receive much human contact, generally wither away and die before they reach the age of two years old.  We all have a need for another’s touch.  We crave the compassionate, caring, loving touch of another human being—especially in times of great distress.
          Take for example our text for this morning.  A man—a father—in desperate need—comes and prostrates himself before Jesus—urging Him—begging Him—to come and lay His hand on his daughter and raise her to life.  And a woman—plagued with a bleeding disorder for twelve years—twelve years in which she has been ritually unclean in Judaism—twelve years with little to no human contact for fear of her contaminating others—twelve years of endless frustration—spending her money on doctors and remedies that never work—now comes to Jesus—thinking in her heart that if she could just touch His garment—she might be healed!
          And Jesus touches them back.  He touches them with His deep, divine compassion and mercy.  He touches the ruler’s daughter with His mighty healing hand—calling her back from death to life.  He touches the woman—reassuring her of His gentle loving-kindness—taking her—an outcast—and making her into a shining example of faith.  He heals her—and publicly commends her faith as that which made her well.
          So…how do you need God’s touch in your life?  What great problems are you struggling with?  What fears, anxieties, worries, and trials have got you down?  What sin has touched you so deeply that you feel that it can never be overcome?  Do you sometimes feel dead inside?  Do you sometimes feel completely alone—even when surrounded by other people?  Do the cares and worries of this life press in around you and hem you in—making you feel lost and afraid?
          Beloved…you are not alone!  The life of the Christian is constantly filled with trials and sufferings.  Times in which Satan and the world and even our own sinful flesh wage war against us—seeking to bring us down and destroy us.  And you know…you know—that you cannot fight this battle on your own.  You know that you are powerless and defenceless against the evil one, apart from Christ.
          And that is the key!  Apart from Christ you can do nothing.  So…Flee!  Run!  As the ruler and woman both upon hearing word that Jesus was near ran to Him—so too must you and I run to Jesus.  Into His loving arms where we are protected and cared for.  In His loving embrace—our greatest fears—our biggest enemies—are defeated—undone—beaten by His gentle touch.
          For Jesus came not to be touched with the great luxurious things of this world—but rather He came to be contaminated—touched by your sin.  All the evil—all the hurt—all the suffering that is so commonplace in this broken world—Jesus came to put an end to it.  And not by merely waving His arm and having it all magically disappear.  No.  He came to get down and dirty.  He came to immerse Himself—to be steeped in—the problems and evils of this world—to take on your sin and mine—and to carry it in His own body to the cross of Golgotha—where He would be touched by the cruel nails and spear of the Roman soldiers—where He would feel the wrath of God for our sin unleashed against His own innocent flesh—where the insults of the people would prick Him as deeply as the thorns pressed into His brow. 
          Jesus came to do this for you…for me…for the person down the street…for those who have never even heard of His name except in curses.  Jesus’ love is so great and so pure that while you and I were still sinners—He died for us.  He died…so that He might touch you with His life—His healing—His power and mercy—reaching out to you with a compassion that knows no boundaries.  Whatever it is that you have done—no matter how deeply you have wallowed in the filthy touch of your own sin.  Whatever it is that has been done to you—no matter how deeply you have been hurt by the sinful touch of others—Christ has taken it all into Himself and suffered and died for it.  What is more—He has risen in victory over it!  So that now His life and purity is yours!
          How?  How can He touch you now?  How can He heal you and bring you to life?  How can He make you pure and holy?  We do not see Him here before us in the flesh to lay His hand upon our dead loved one and raise them up.  We do not see Him here curing all our ailments and diseases.  No.  But He is here nonetheless—He is here in this place of worship—where He has always promised to be—for where two or three are gathered together in His name—where His Gospel of the free forgiveness of sins and peace is announced to all people—where His sacraments are administered to sinners in need of a Saviour–there He is! Right here–right now! He is here to bring you His peace and joy.
          Jesus HAS indeed touched you, dear friends.  He has touched you this day in the sure and certain proclamation of Holy Absolution in which all of your many sins were erased—forgiven entirely and freely—by the His own shed blood.  He has touched you in your Baptism.  When the water was poured out upon you in the holy name of our God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—all His rich gifts and blessings were imparted to you—and He touched you with His healing power—forgiving you all your sins and raising you from a life of death and misery—to an everlasting life of joy in His Kingdom–pure and holy in His name.
          Shortly, you will be coming forward to this altar to receive the Holy Supper of our Lord Jesus, where He will touch you with His own life-giving body and blood present in bread and wine.  Can you see it?  Can you smell it?  Can you taste it?  Can you touch it?  Yes.  And we touch Him not merely in the physical sense, but also in the spiritual sense.  For, to our earthly eyes, ears, nose, and hands, it looks, sounds, smells, and feels like simple bread and wine.  Yet, to the eyes of faith—faith which trusts in the proclaimed Word of Christ and His promises attached to the bread and wine—namely that the forgiveness of all your sins is given and assured in this Sacrament for herein ARE His true body and blood—then you truly do touch and receive the healing power of Christ Himself.
          Touch is important.  Touch is powerful.  Especially when done in faith.  For faith properly receives what is offered—faith receives what is promised.  Faith is produced through the hearing of the Word.  Though the woman and the ruler saw Jesus with their physical eyes as a man, yet by faith they saw Him as He truly is—their Saviour.  And by faith they clung to His Word of hope and promise.  For the Word produces a spiritual seeing/touching in the heart.  As it has in yours. 
          For faith leads you to this place.  Faith calls you to this altar to touch with your hands and taste with your lips—the goodness of God—in the shed body and blood of Christ our Saviour.  Christ has touched each of you with His life-giving mercy—raising you up from the spiritual death that sin had brought upon you.  Jesus touches you—through His Word—in His absolution—through water, bread, and wine—to comfort and assure you that all He won for you with His own death and resurrection—is now and forevermore—fully and freely—yours.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Dual Citizenship​
Trinity 23
November 12, 2023
Matthew 22:15-22 Dual Citizenship v.21 “Then He said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
​ Dear friends in Christ, though it may seem a little early in the year to be discussing it, our text for this morning deals with paying one’s taxes. Of course, we are not required to pay our taxes until the Spring, but we are required to pay. No citizen is exempt from this—not even—or rather, especially not, Christians. As we will see the Christian holds citizenship in two kingdoms, not just one, and there are obligations owed to both. As a background to our text we must understand how the Jews absolutely hated the Roman occupation of their land. They detested the Romans and the authority they held over them. We might, too, if there were foreign soldiers keeping order on the corners of the streets in our town. And Jesus’ enemies were going to use this well-known hatred for everything Roman to try and trap Jesus and bring Him down. They attempted this with a carefully worded question, after first giving Him some empty platitudes intended to “butter” Him up. “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully [yeah, right!], and you do not care 2 about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” You can see how sneaky these Jews were. If Jesus said, “yes” then He would be seen by the people (who hated Rome) to be a Roman sympathizer—a position that would definitely deflate His popularity, which was exactly what the Jewish religious authorities wanted. And yet, if Jesus said, “no” they could then charge Him with sedition and inciting rebellion—a charge that Rome would take very seriously indeed, as they had to put down a violent rebellion some 20 years earlier that all started because of this same question of tax and the coin used for the tax (which featured the image of the deified emperor). This went against Judaism’s deeply held spiritual beliefs that there is only one God. Of course, no matter how smart they thought they were, they were nothing compared to He who is the Wisdom of God in the flesh! Jesus sees right through their charade, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius, which of course, had Caesar’s inscription on it. For Caesar’s coinage represented his government. Which then begs the question—if Jesus’ questioners were so concerned about paying the Roman tax in the first place, what were they doing carrying the coin? Indeed, their hypocrisy was plain to see. 3 Jesus then answers simply, yet profoundly, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Jesus is here making the important distinction between church and state. And how we, as Christians, are citizens of not just one kingdom—the nation to which we belong and are born into in this world—but through Baptism we have also been given citizenship into the heavenly Kingdom of Christ the Lord—when through water and the Word we were reborn children of God. In a way, your Baptismal certificate signifies this very real truth—and serves as a reminder to you each and every day of your eternal citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. A kingdom of life, and love, and mercy, and salvation eternal. As members of the heavenly kingdom we have duties and responsibilities toward our God—to obey His Word, follow His commandments—study and proclaim the truth of Christ our Saviour in its purity and sweetness. The kingdom of heaven is never ruled by the Law, however, but rather by the Gospel. This “right hand” kingdom of Christ is the means by which He brings people to life and salvation—through the blessed means of grace in Word and Sacrament. Through the clear proclamation of Christ alone as Saviour—who took on our flesh and carried our sin to the cross of Calvary—putting it to death with His own death—and then rising again in victory and triumphant life three days later—the church grows as people’s hearts are changed and faith is worked by the Holy Spirit. 4 Each time another person is baptized into the triune name of our holy God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—another citizen is born into the kingdom of heaven—another person is washed clean of all their sin—robed in the righteousness that belongs to Christ Jesus—and given a life that will never, ever end. Each time we come before this altar to receive the Lord’s Supper—He gives us this life in His own sweet flesh and blood—hidden under the bread and the wine—through which He strengthens us for service with the sure and certain forgiveness of all our sins—taking into our mouths the very salvation that Christ purchased for us on the cross with His own suffering and death. Yet, the authority of our government has also been established by God Himself. Indeed, all temporal authority is of divine origin, and has been instituted by God for the restraining of evil doers. In purely temporal matters this authority—whether president or queen, parliament or house of congress, whether military dictator or elected official—must be obeyed by the Christian at all times—save when that authority attempts to hinder the Gospel or coerce Christians to go against God’s Word—such as in the case of abortion in our own country to this day. The state may say it is legal, but we as Christians know and uphold it to be a great evil, which takes innocent human life, and so must be avoided at all costs. 5 Yet whether or not we believe our government acts justly, we are still obligated to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. This is more than simply paying your taxes. It means obeying the laws of the land (even silly speed limit changes that we may not agree with!), or it may mean serving in the armed forces if called upon to do so (as yesterday we honoured those who have and do); in a democracy it certainly means taking your right to vote seriously (as I’m sure many of you did this past week); and what is more, perhaps even hardest of all at times—it means praying for our nation and our leaders—that God would bless them with wisdom and bless our land with peace and prosperity under their guidance and leadership—and even if that doesn’t happen—to still thank God for them and for giving them to us to rule over us. This is not to say that we do not speak out against our government where we believe them to be in the wrong—as Christians we have a duty speak against injustice—again, take abortion as a prime example—we have an enormous responsibility as Christians to defend life—especially that of the weakest members of our society—the unborn and any others who cannot speak for themselves. Sadly, we often neglect this duty. But God would have us proclaim His truth and His Word of Law and Gospel to all people. When Jesus said to the people, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and render to God the things that are God’s,” He was showing us how we 6 have an expanded citizenship, not just in the earthly realm in which we live, but also the heavenly realm, which is our true home. The kingdom of God—the kingdom of His right hand—is a kingdom of love and forgiveness—founded by the one Who on the cross poured out His life’s blood as a sacrifice for all human sin—from not paying your taxes—to blaspheming the name of the Lord—and everything in between—even the taking of another human life. It is ruled by the King of kings and Lord of lords who holds all things in His hand—even earthly governments—even individual sinners who come before Him in meekness and humility confessing their sin and pleading for His mercy—which He freely gives. And let us never forget that the right hand kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom established by the One who on Easter morning shattered the icy grip of death and opened instead the gates of paradise to all believers. Think about that. It doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile—if you’re North American, Central American, South American, African, European, Asian, Australian, or even a resident of Antarctica—no matter which country you call home—the heavenly kingdom is open to you as you have faith in Jesus Christ. It is for all people of every nation, tribe and language. And this most blessed kingdom does not spread by force of arms or physical threats—but rather through spiritual means—the means of grace in Word and 7 Sacrament whereby the almighty God sends His Spirit to work to create and sustain faith in the hearts of sinful people. We gain a citizenship into the kingdom of heaven that does not rightly belong to us. But it has been granted to us by heaven’s #1 citizen—the Lord Jesus—who bestows upon us His saving favour and grace—marking us with His name and His cross—He inscribes our name into His book of life—that we may enter into eternal salvation—solely by His blood that was shed on the cross. So now, in faith and love for our Saviour, we now want to serve God and our neighbour faithfully. For by serving our neighbour with our good works (in the kingdom of the left hand) we exercise our citizenship in Christ’s kingdom (the kingdom of the right hand)! That’s right! Paying your taxes is a good work—as is obeying the speed limit! We don’t serve our neighbour to avoid a fine or because we fear imprisonment, however, but rather because we live our lives in response to the love we have been given by God. Our loyalty always is to Him first. All this because He was first loyal to us when we least deserved it—by sending the Son to serve us with His own perfect life, suffering, death and resurrection—freeing us from all sin, death, and hell. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen

​Reformation Sunday (Observed)                                                                                                                  October 29, 2023
Matthew 11:12-19
 
Justified by Wisdom
 
v.19       The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him!  A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”  Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.
 
     Dear friends in Christ, this day we celebrate the festival of the Reformation.  That pivotal moment in church history when God used a simple Augustinian monk to bring the Gospel back to His church, which had lost her way.  In theological terms we use the word “justification” quite freely—quite regularly.  Indeed, the Reformers spoke of justification as the chief article upon which the church stands or falls.  In Article IV of the Augsburg Confession, we learn that Scripture plainly teaches we are all justified by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.  But what does it mean, exactly?  What does it truly mean to be justified?
     Jesus used the word in a seemingly odd way at the end of our text for this morning.  He was speaking to a crowd of people about John the Baptist, His cousin, who was now in prison, but who had done his job in preparing the way for the Lord.  Jesus says the current generation—those who could neither accept His nor John’s teachings—were like children playing in the streets—unsatisfied with either happy or sad games—just as some people were dissatisfied with either John’s strict proclamation of the Law—nor with Jesus’ joyous announcement of the goodness and mercy of God in the Gospel.
     Why?  Why were they so unhappy?  Why were they so unwilling to accept John’s or Jesus’ teachings?  Because they thought that they needed to be a part of their own justification.  Ah.  There is that word again.  What does it mean?  Basically, to justify is to “acquit; declare and treat as righteous; to make right or just; put into a right relationship with God; set free from sin; to be imputed with righteousness that is foreign to the recipient.”
     Some of the Jews of Jesus’ day—just as some of the Christians in Luther’s day—and some Christians in our own—want to seek out a justification before God that is not wholly reliant upon His grace and mercy in Christ, but which also relies upon our own works or deeds.  Even if we just simply start it and God does all the rest—or vice versa—God starts and does 99.9% of the work with just a little bit left over for us to do.  We inherently think and believe that there truly is something that we can add to assist in our own salvation.
     This is the sinful flesh at work—helped along no doubt by the devil and his evil horde.  This is what Jesus came to overcome—this is what Luther sought to proclaim—and what we are called upon to confess as well.  For as great and mighty is the central tenet of the Reformation of justification by grace through faith in Christ alone—yet it will invariably be misunderstood apart from the teaching of the complete and utter deprivation and corruption of man due to original sin. 
     In order for the Gospel to be truly heard with the full sweetness it renders—our hearts must first be broken by the full sternness of the Law that states that no matter who you are—no matter how good you may think you are—you are utterly powerless before God in terms of your own salvation.  You are not just sick with sin—you are not merely weak—you are dead in your trespasses and sins—and you need someone from outside of yourself to make you live.
     Think of it in terms of an emergency in the hospital.  Someone arrives on a stretcher—their heart has stopped—they are dead.  What would happen to that person if the doctors and nurses simply charged up the defibrillator machine, placed the paddles on the chest of the individual, and said—“It’s all set and ready to go.  We’ve done 99.9% of the work—all you have to do is just press this button to shock yourself back to life.  We’re gonna step out now and go and get a coffee.”  That person would lie there and nothing would happen.  Why?  Because they are dead! 
     They need someone to save them.  They need someone to do ALL the work to bring them back to life, otherwise they will remain dead!  Such is the case with us.  We, too, need someone to save us.  We, too, need someone to do ALL the work—and that person is Jesus—God’s Son our Saviour.  He who has lived the perfect life we never could—He who has taken our place on the cross—suffered the punishment and endured the death that was rightly ours—He has risen again in triumph and saved us.  He truly is a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
     This is the enduring message of the church—throughout all ages—that of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners.  He who has saved you with His life, death, and resurrection—calls you from death to life by the power of His Word and Sacraments.  With His healing power He has removed the stain of sin from your heart and washed it in His own redeeming blood that was shed on the cross.  Though you are a sinner—though you are truly dead in your trespasses and sins—yet God in His grace has set you free—made you alive again—through faith in the Christ who sacrificed Himself for you.
     And even your own faith is not your own work or doing, but is something that is worked within you by the Holy Spirit.  He comes to you in Word and Sacrament to tell you about Jesus—and as you hear the great good news of all that Jesus has done for you—the Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith in your heart that you might be saved.
     For we are never justified by our own deeds.  No, true Christian wisdom is found in fearing and loving God, who has made Wisdom manifest in the flesh of Jesus Christ who came to do the deed that would accomplish our salvation and justify us before God.  What He declares to be true—is true.  When He says you are forgiven—then you are forgiven.  When He grants you life eternal in His name—then life eternal is yours.
     Because of what Jesus has done we are justified in believing He is the Messiah—His resurrection has proved that beyond all doubt.  What is more He has also proved by His bloody sacrifice on the cross that He is the best of friends to all sinners.  For by Him alone have we been made right with God once more.  He suffered the violence of God’s full wrath for sin on the cross—giving up His holy body and blood into death—in order that we might eat and drink of Him in His Kingdom—eat and drink of His body and blood in bread and wine—and so receive peace with God—peace with one another.
     Having been saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, we hunger and thirst for these rich blessings and mercies which can be received nowhere else than in His own holy church, which is His body.  As such, we are now well-prepared to endure violence, hardship, pain, sorrow and suffering—so that we might receive these blessings, which are for our highest good.  The Lord turns our selfish natures inside out—to direct us toward Him and His saving work on the cross—that we may enjoy His compassion and peace that He earned with such courage and suffering in His own innocent flesh.  For truly, Christ, the wisdom of God, has justified us by His deed.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.
 
 
 

​Trinity 20                                                                                                                                               October 22, 2023
Matthew 22:1-14
 
Coming to the Banquet of the Lord
 
v.11-12       But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.  And he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?"  And he was speechless.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, our text for today is a parable of Jesus.  A parable in which Jesus outlines some of Israel's responses to the good news of salvation.  For Israel was always, from its very beginning, to be looking ahead to the coming Saviour, the Messiah, who would rescue them from sin through faith in God alone.  The Lord had provided abundantly for His people through the ages.  He had provided faithful servants who went and called the people to repentance and pointed them to God's saving work at all times--to the promised seed of the woman who would bring great blessing to the people of God and free them from the tyranny of the devil. 
          Jesus, in this parable, likens this history to a king preparing a rich wedding feast for his son.  He sends his servants out to call the invited guests to the wedding feast, but they would not come.  So, he sent other servants, calling to the people, telling them that the wedding feast is ready--so come--freely eat and drink and be merry in the wedding hall of the king!  But they were ignored, or worse, they mistreated and killed by the very ones they were called to gather into the feast.  In his wrath, the king went and destroyed those people and their city, but then instructed his servants to go and gather all people, both bad and good, so that the wedding hall could be filled with guests.
          Finally, at long last, the king enters the wedding hall and surveys those who have been gathered.  Unfortunately, one guest sticks out like a sore thumb.  A man who is not dressed in the wedding garment that the king had so generously provided for everyone there.   When questioned about this enormous insult, the man has nothing to say, and so is thrown into the outer darkness where he would forever suffer.  To which Jesus concludes this parable with the well-known phrase, "Many are called, but few are chosen."
          Beloved, what does all this mean? Well, let us try to break it down.  God desires all people to be gathered into His kingdom and partake of the never-ending wedding feast between His Son, the bridegroom Jesus, and His bride, the holy church.  The Gospel call to faith in Jesus Christ, which is the invitation to this feast, goes out to all the world, to all people, at all times.  Through the Word and the Sacraments, God's Holy Spirit calls people to faith in Jesus.  The servants of God--pastors, teachers, evangelists, mothers and fathers, etc.--call people to faith by inviting them to hear the Good News of Jesus crucified and risen for sinners--and to believe it.
          This call--this holy invitation--often has some negative reactions, however.  There are those who, in our day and context, simply choose to ignore the call of the Gospel.  They have better things to do--places to be--people to see--that are much more important than hearing about some long-gone Jewish preacher man.  So they go off to work, to their rest and relaxation, or whatever else, and ignore God's gracious invitation, to the great harm of their eternal souls.
          As bad as that is, and as damning as that response is, there is another reaction--one that is far more violent--one that will rear its ugly head more and more as our society grows increasingly secular and hostile to Christianity.  "The rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them."  We see this already taking place in certain areas around the world where Christianity is illegal.  Christians found to be in possession of a Bible in North Korea face imprisonment, torture, and death.  Christians in many Muslim dominated countries of the Middle East and Africa, also face intense persecution and even death for confessing Christ as God and Lord.  While these enemies of Jesus may think they are victorious, this injury to the body of Christ will not stand.  On Judgment Day the Lord God will strike those murderers down and give them their just punishment, should they fail to repent.
          So, what about the rest?  There are some, some who are called, who do receive with great joy the invitation to the wedding feast in the kingdom of heaven.  These are both bad and good.  People whom we would look on as undesirables, perhaps, or the very best of the best, good upstanding citizens.  However, from God's perspective, in view of His Holy Law, all people fall short--and none are deserving of His gracious call and invitation.  Yet all those who hear this call and believe, both bad and good, are freely received into His banquet hall to dine with the Lord in eternal glory.
          That is you and me, dear friends.  We who have been baptized into God's holy triune name have been washed clean of all sin by the blood of Jesus outpoured on the cross.  We are the good and the bad.  Our sin convicts us, yet we are received, by His grace, into His kingdom to enjoy the riches of His mercy forevermore.
          Yet, there is a final warning for us, dear friends.  For upon looking into the banquet hall, the king in the parable noted a man who had no wedding garment, who was then tossed out into eternal darkness.  This serves as a warning for us all that we dare not grow conceited in our faith and assume that our place at the Lord's table has been earned by our life and love.  That we can clothe ourselves in our good deeds and be acceptable in God's sight.  This is not so, beloved.  As the prophet Isaiah declared, "all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags before the Lord."  We need to be dressed by Him, covered by Him, cleansed by Him, in order to come into His presence.
          This God has graciously done through the working of Jesus Christ.  By His perfect life, death, and resurrection He has earned forgiveness and salvation for the world.  By faith, we freely receive this good and gracious gift from the generous hand of our loving Saviour who bled and died for us on Calvary's cross.  By faith, in Baptism, through the hearing of the Gospel Word, through the blessing of Holy Absolution, Christians are given this forgiveness for all our sins.  We are washed completely clean and made new and glorious in God's sight--for we are covered with the righteousness of Another--that of Jesus Christ Himself.  Jesus ushers you into the wedding hall to take your place at His side in His kingdom, which will never end. 
          This very day, you are given a foretaste of the great feast to come.  For in this simple meal of bread and wine, the very God made flesh--Jesus Christ Himself--comes to each of you with His holy body and blood--to forgive you your sins and to strengthen your faith--that you may ever receive with joy and thanksgiving the Gospel call--the blessed invitation--to dine with Him in eternal glory.  For many are called, but few are chosen.  By God's grace, you are part of the few--chosen from eternity--to be members of God's kingdom.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Trinity 19                                                                                                                                          October 15, 2023
Genesis 28:10-17
 
Seeing with Your Eyes Wide Shut
 
vv.12 & 15  “And he [Jacob] dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven.  And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it…[And God said], ‘Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land.’”
 
          Beloved in Christ, our Lord would have us cling to Him and His promises, firmly trusting Him despite what occurs to us in this world.  Sounds simple enough, right?  Sounds fairly easy, actually.  But, as with most things, those that appear to be the easiest are often the most difficult to do.  It’s easy to trust in God for your good when everything is going alright (though the Devil enjoys using those times to lead us to trust in ourselves and our power/possessions rather than God, even during the good times). But what about when life throws you a curveball? What about when your world quite literally begins to fall apart?  What about when everything around us seems to be happening exactly the opposite as to what God has promised us?  What then? Such times can be particularly arduous for the faith of the Christian.
          Such was the situation faced by Jacob, the patriarch of the church, so long ago.  I mean, just look at his situation.  He had been destined to have it all—to rule and to govern the family—the church—he was the chosen heir, even though he was not the firstborn son.  But in our text we find him in the midst of a long journey, auspiciously to seek out a wife, but in reality going into exile, fleeing from his brother’s murderous wrath.  No friend or companion to lead or to guide him along the way.  No one at all.  Left all alone.  And so we find him stumbling along in weariness, trying to get as far away as possible from his brother as quickly as he possibly could.  He is so weary that he walks and walks until it is simply too dark to go any further.  Exhausted, he takes a rock to use as a pillow and immediately falls asleep.
          Beloved, do you not feel the same at times?  Exhausted with this life and this world?  Wondering how things have gone so very wrong?  Do you stumble around in weariness—lost in the darkness of doubt and unbelief?  Do you often feel oppressed and harassed by Satan and the world?  Do you not question the validity of God’s promises?  Where is the joy?  The freedom?  The peace?  At times, it seems as if these things are not to be found in our lives—the lives Christians—while the world goes along its merry way—seemingly enjoying the many blessings of God that we feel we deserve and have been promised.  What’s going on?  Indeed, at times, it is most difficult for us to look around with eyes of faith and see the hand of God at work for our benefit.
          However, before we answer those questions, let’s go back to our text for a moment.  Remember that Jacob had just fallen into an exhausted slumber—it is then that he has a rather odd dream in which he sees heaven opened and a ladder rooted in the earth, but reaching up to heaven on which the angels ascend and descend and God speaks to him personally, reiterating the promises he first heard from his parents, “And behold, the YHWH stood above it and said, ‘I am the YHWH, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.  The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.  Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.  Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land.  For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’”
          Now, in looking at Jacob’s circumstances from the standpoint of reason alone we would conclude that the divine promises which he had bestowed upon him and which the Lord had just reiterated for him are simply meaningless and empty words.  For none of that was happening.  In fact, the opposite was happening.  His brother Esau was inheriting it all, getting everything, ruling and governing in his stead, having children!  Jacob wasn’t even married yet! 
          Perhaps you have felt the same sort of exasperation and despair.  Perhaps God’s promises look good in theory, but in reality you just don’t see them being carried out.  Where is the justice and mercy of God?  Where is His goodness and blessing?  There doesn’t appear to be very much of it around the world these days.  In fact, it seems quite the opposite is happening—especially to Christians.
          Yet dear Christian friends, we need to see as Jacob did when God came to him in his dream, that the promises and blessings have not been lost, but what we endure is merely a trial, so that we may be made to cling to the promise ever more firmly in faith and wait.  Not very appealing is it?  But that is the answer that Scripture gives to us. 
          God often allows things to befall us and His church in order to test our hearts.  This is the constant course of the church at all times—namely that promises are made and then those who believe the promises are treated in such a way that they are compelled to wait for the things that are invisible; to believe what they do not see, and to hope for what does not appear.  Indeed, Luther said, “He who does not do this is not a Christian.”  Strong words.  But we must be reminded that Christ Himself entered into His glory only by first descending into hell.  When He is about to reign, He is crucified.  When He is to be glorified, He is spit on.  For He must suffer first and then be glorified.
          Yet our God is gracious and merciful, compassionate to us in our time of need.  He does not just let us flounder around on this earth struggling all the while with Satan and the world harassing us every step of the way, tempting us to forsake God and reject Him and His promises.  Indeed, temptation is added and piled up for those who are afflicted and tried, so that it hurls them headlong into despair, into blasphemy, or impatience.  These are the works of the devil.  Yet wisdom is not found in the land of those who live pleasantly, but rather under the cross of those who are oppressed and in conflict with spiritual trials.  For it is then that God comes and consoles the afflicted.  How?  In the same manner He came and consoled Jacob on that cold dark night of fear and despair.  With His Word.
          It is the promised blessing of God that consoles and strengthens the heart.  Beloved in Christ, though your faith be harassed and under attack, remember that God comes to you richly and daily in His Word and Sacrament to uplift and strengthen you.  You have His Baptism, His Supper, and His consolation through the Gospel Word and absolution.  To be sure, we feel the very opposite in our flesh and so struggle against doubt and unbelief, but take heart and remember that God’s Word is stronger than your doubts!  His Word is stronger than Satan and all his armies, His Word is more powerful than all the world, and His Word has been freely given to you.
          For the promise that was given to Jacob came as He saw a stairway or ladder rooted in the ground and reaching up to heaven.  What does this mean?  Surely angels, who are spiritual beings, have no need of a ladder to travel between heaven and earth, so what is it all about?  Well, as with the rest of Scripture, it’s all about Christ.  The promised seed that would come from Jacob himself—rooted on the earth—being fully human—and reaching up to heaven—being fully divine.  We read in John 1:51 that Jesus said to Nathanael, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”  So Jesus is the ladder.  He is the incarnate Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, come into the world to live perfectly on our behalf, including trusting in God no matter what—even while in unimaginable agony suffering on the cross for our sins—so that you and I might be set free from sin and death and live for all eternity.  When we are doubting, when we are frustrated, angry, feeling all alone, to what do we cling?  That which our father in the faith, the patriarch Jacob did, the ladder of God, which is Christ Himself.  He who was crucified in our stead, who bore the punishment that our sin so richly deserves—it is to Him and His cross alone that we cling to so fervently.
          Jesus, the Most High was made to be the lowest—indeed, He became sin for us, writes St. Paul.  He was put under every curse of sin, death and hell, so that He might devour them—that they might have no power over us anymore.  For He later ascended into heaven so that we also may be raised in glory. 
          Just think how God strengthened Jacob in the wilderness during his time of need and danger.  Jacob saw God Himself—in a dream—with his eyes wide shut!  And yet we are blessed to see this same promise of the Saviour more clearly in the Word of God, when we hear the testimony of the apostles and evangelists in the New Testament.  We see heaven opened to us and all of His vast promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation fulfilled—in our beloved crucified Lord Jesus—with our ears!
          Trust not your eyes that may deceive you to the truth of this world—rather trust in the sure and certain Word of Christ.  For in that Word is there life and salvation! For God’s Word is the cradle of Christ—in His Word we see and receive Jesus.  In that Word we hear of the sure and certain fulfillment of all God’s promises—in the person and work of His only-begotten Son.  Let us hold fast to Him who is our ladder to the safety of the heavenly kingdom.  Let us cling to Him as He restores us to life and carries us to our eternal reward. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Trinity 18 - Canadian Thanksgiving                                                                                                       October 8, 2023
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
 
Giving Thanks…to Whom?  Why?
 
V.4    I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus…
 
          Dear friends in Christ, this weekend marks the holiday of Canadian Thanksgiving (set at the more appropriate time of the harvest in our northern climate–just sayin’).  As is the custom with many of us during Thanksgiving (no matter when you celebrate it) we have the practice of listing various things for which we are thankful (and there is a lot to be thankful for!).  Indeed, the gifts of God’s good creation that are part of the First Article of the Creed quickly come to mind: house and home, food and clothing, spouse and children, land and animals, jobs and good government, seasonal weather and harvest, etc. 
          But to whom do we give thanks for all these gifts?  The universe?  Ourselves?  Parents/family? The government?  Ha!  No!  In our text for this morning, St. Paul is quite clear that we are to give thanks to God.  Why is Paul giving thanks to God in this letter to the Corinthians?  For the church in Corinth itself! 
          Now, beloved, this may come as something of a surprise to you who know something about the church at Corinth.  You see, Paul had spent a good amount of time in that city.  Corinth was at the heart of an important trade route and, like many such cities, had a reputation for sexual immorality, religious diversity, and corruption.  Paul had planted the church there in Acts 18.  Sadly, it floundered there under all of those aforementioned negative influences and began to divide over various issues including: spiritual gifts, marriage, food sacrificed to idols, and the resurrection.  Paul’s two letters to the Corinthians deal with many of these practical issues that impacted this particular church. 
          They seem to have been a constant thorn in his side with their many problems and difficulties.  They no doubt caused him great grief and trouble, angst and sorrow.  Headache after headache.  So, then, why is he giving thanks to God for them?  Because they have been “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”  They are saints–holy ones–made holy by faith in Jesus Christ their Lord.  They have been gathered together to call upon God’s holy name.  In short, they are the church.  With all of their problems, difficulties, and divisions, yet they remain the people of God by His grace–called to faith in Christ Jesus–united by their Lord and Savior.
          And so Paul gives thanks to God for these people and the grace of God given to them in Christ Jesus.  “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus…”  Did you hear that?  Despite all the troubles–all the problems–all the headaches–Paul gives thanks for them–ALWAYS.  But not because of their problems, but rather because of the grace of God given them in Christ Jesus. He gives thanks for their faith in Jesus.  For their love of the Lord. A love planted into their hearts by the Holy Spirit who washed them clean in the blood of Jesus.
          Now THAT, beloved, is ALSO something for which we ought to give thanks (the Second Article of the Creed on the Lord Jesus makes this plain).  I know it can be challenging, at times, when we look around at our small fellowship, which seems to be ever shrinking–year by year.  It can be compounded when we look at those around us in these pews–people whom we know all too well to be sinners–just as they know the same of us.  We see our fallenness reflected in them and they in us.  We have even hurt each other sometimes with our differing viewpoints on how the church ought to run and operate.
          And yet, dear friends, yet we are always to be mindful of the fact that those in our church have been called and sanctified by Jesus–just as we have.  And this is a great gift of God.  For it means we are NOT alone!  We aren’t left to navigate difficult times and situations with just us and our Bible.  No, indeed, we have the strength of those around us–like minded Christians–people who have been bathed in the redeeming blood of Jesus (the church of the past and the present)–and they can help point us to the gifts and promises of God in Christ Jesus.
          Just listen to how St. Paul continues.  Because of the grace of God (the kindness and favor of God) shown to these Christians in Jesus–that God sent His Son to suffer and die for their sins–now in every way this grace of God in Christ has caused them to be rich in all speech and knowledge.  Rich in the words that our Lord speaks to us through His Word–and the knowledge of our salvation through faith in Jesus. For this testimony–this witness–about Christ was confirmed (caused to be known as certain) among them. 
          What joy, beloved, to know that this same grace of God has been poured out upon you in this body of believers that we call the holy Christian church.  You have been baptized into the same triune name of God–united together with Christ Jesus Himself AND all who believe on His name.  You have the knowledge of God’s salvation made sure and certain in the Holy Bible to which you and all believers cling to for truth and guidance, for comfort and consolation.  God works His salvation in your heart through His Word and Sacraments.  Confirming His grace upon you in these objective means gives strength to faltering hearts–peace to troubled consciences–life to those dead in trespasses and sins. 
          For you, beloved, having been filled with the Holy Spirit at your Baptism– nurtured by His blessed Word–strengthened in the saving grace of our Lord Jesus’ own body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar–are not lacking in any gift as you await the End–the final coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For you have the great peace and assurance of sins forgiven by Jesus’ blood shed for you.  You have the comfort of knowing your Lord Jesus has claimed you as His own and sealed you unto life everlasting by His cross and suffering on your behalf.  He who has bought you with such a terrible price (His own suffering and death on the cross), will not let you go, nor your brothers and sisters in Christ–be they within these hallowed walls or elsewhere scattered throughout the earth. 
          You do not fear the final revelation (apocalypse) of Jesus.  For as Paul writes, He “will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  So, when threatened with overwhelming fear or anxiety over your sin and shame.  Whether brought near to despair over the darkness rampant in the world around us.  Whether startled by the terrible wickedness and vice of family, friends, or neighbors.  We do not succumb to fear or dread.  For we have the promise of God that He will sustain us (cause us to be established and firm in our belief).  For by His grace we are guiltless in regard to sin.  Not just declared free of guilt as by a judge.  More than that.  No longer even able to be accused by the great Accuser, Satan.  For he has been cast down out of heaven.  We have been delivered by our great Advocate and Defender–the Lord Jesus–who shed His blood to wipe away our sin and to remove our shame and guilt. 
          How do you know this to be true?  “God is faithful.”  God is able to be trusted.  For He has bled and died and risen again for you and your brothers and sisters in Christ–and all people.  What’s more, you have been called into the fellowship–the koinonia–the church of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  You have been summoned into this close association and relationship with other believers by the Lord Jesus.  No wonder we can look at each other with such love and mercy.  For that is the way our Lord looks upon us each and every day.  Yes, we see sinners all around us in these pews–just as we do in the world at large–but we also see them as individuals who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  And those in our fellowship have been called by God’s grace to faith in Jesus Christ–and so truly are our brothers and sisters–united in faith and trust to our merciful God and Lord.
What opportunity we now have to extend this mercy and love to those outside these walls–to invite them within–to hear this Good News–to receive the same call to faith which we ourselves received by God’s grace.  What a joy and privilege to be participants in spreading God’s kingdom of light, joy, and peace to those trapped in the darkness of sin, death, and despair.  And that, too, is something for which we are thankful to God.  And so, beloved, let there be thanks to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Always and forevermore.  Amen. 

Trinity 16 September 24, 2023 Luke 7:11-17 Death and Crying V.13 And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Dear friends in Christ, sadly tragic deaths abound. Here are some news headlines from just this past week: “Soap star Billy Miller dead at 43,” “A Young Indian student dead,” “Investigation into 13 year old bully victim’s tragic death,” “Man crushed to death by thousands of cheese wheels (UK),” “14 year old girl dies at private sports camp,” and the list could go on and on and on. Behind each of these stories is a person who died what we would call an “untimely” death, therefore making it very tragic. Each death leaves behind many people, both family and friends, broken at their sudden loss–given to deep grief and sorrow. They remind us, quite emphatically, of the Scriptural truth (1 Cor. 15:26), that “The Last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Death is indeed an enemy. Such is the case in our Gospel text today as Jesus comes upon a very sad situation just outside the tiny village of Nain. A young man, the only son of his mother who was a widow, has died. He is being carried in a great funeral procession to the burial grounds. She is weeping–wailing in great lament and sorrow–such is her terrible grief at the death of her only son. The crowd weeps with her at this tragic circumstance. 2 Indeed, death is usually accompanied by tears. For death brings separation–death brings heartache–death brings sorrow and loneliness and a host of other evils into our lives. Death and crying appear to go hand in hand. Though we sometimes talk about and treat death as a “friend”--one that ends suffering and pain–yet this is a subtle lie of the devil. For the Scriptures declare that death is the aberration of God’s good creation that He intended for life with Him. After all, what did God say to Adam and Eve after He created them? Genesis 1:28 declares, “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it’…” It was SIN that would bring death and mar God’s wonderful work, as He warned Adam in Genesis 2:16, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” And when we stop to really think about it, we can see that death is actually the great enemy and no friend whatsoever. For, if we had the choice, would we not rather have our deceased friends and family members back with us, hearty and whole, free of pain and suffering, alive and well, rather than dead and gone and separated from us? Would we not rather have our grandparents, parents, friends, spouses, and children back with us? Of course we would! So, while death can end suffering in this broken world, yet it remains the great enemy. Else, why would we 3 cry, even when it is a supposedly “good” death by all metrics? One that has ended suffering? One that we would not even consider “tragic?” Yet, still we cry. For death hurts. Again, the widow at Nain serves as a great example of the pain caused by death. Her son’s death was certainly a tragedy. Without her husband who had previously died, she is now bereft of her only means of support in the ancient world–her only son. Not only that–he was her child–her baby!--and as callous as we sometimes are toward death–most people agree that no parent should have to outlive their children–that this is a particularly painful evil to endure. Yet, where Jesus walks life abounds! Upon taking in this incredibly painful and difficult situation, our Lord acts. His compassion is stirred–His insides are roiling at the injustice of death–the pain it causes–the heartbreak it produces in His people whom He created for life and joy! He approaches the widow who is weeping and wailing in deepest grief and despair and He simply says, “Do not weep.” While she no doubt blinks in surprise at this seemingly absurd statement (for who more than her would have a right to weep at such a time?!), Jesus calmly walks over to the litter bearing her dead son and then speaks, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the young man got up and began to speak, proving he was alive again, and Jesus gave him to his mother i​ncredible! Unbelievable! Miraculous! Indeed. Yet this is precisely what Jesus has come to do, beloved. He has come to bring an end to death. Not just for the widow’s son, but for us all. His deep compassion toward us moved Him to take on our flesh and to suffer death for us, so that by rising again He could destroy death by destroying its power–sin. As Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:56, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” As sinners who have broken God’s Law, death is the natural consequence, as God first warned Adam. For “the wages of sin is death.” Yet here in Luke’s Gospel, we see the inbreaking of Jesus’ power over sin, death, and the grave. For now, as Christ has risen from the dead, so too shall this ancient saying come true (1 Cor. 54b-55), “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Indeed, with a word the living God made flesh speaks and undoes death–breaks its hold–as easily as one would wake a sleeping child! This is why Christians now cry differently when death occurs. We don’t weep and wail as those with no hope. As St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 4:13), “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep [dead], that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” Do we Christians grieve–yes! Do we mourn–of course! Do we cry–undoubtedly! But NOT as those 5 who have no hope. For our God has died and risen again and He promises life to all who believe in Him. You may recall those beautiful words that Jesus spoke to Martha just before He raised her brother Lazarus from the dead (John 11:25-26), “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” These words are so special and profound that they are now ensconced in our funeral liturgy. For these words remind us that those who die believing in Jesus still live–and will live forever and fully on the Last Day when Christ returns to raise the dead unto eternal life with Him. You have this promise sealed unto you in your Baptism, dear friends. For Paul writes in Romans 6:4, “We were buried therefore with Him [Jesus] by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” These words also form a part of our funeral liturgy. And well that they do! For they remind us that in Baptism we put on Christ and His righteousness. We have been washed clean of all sin–for in Baptism Jesus’ death for sin on the cross has become ours–and so has His resurrection from the dead! God be praised! All who believe and are baptized shall be saved! 6 This is true for you and me and all who believe. Jesus’ resurrection means our final end will not be one composed of suffering and death, but rather joy and life. For as St. John declares in his final revelation (Rev. 21:4), God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” This is His sure and certain promise to you and me and all people. Our Lord God is the Lord of life! Death has no dominion over Him nor upon any whom He has claimed as His own dear children and heirs. Your Baptism confirms you belong to Him. So, you need not fear death as your great enemy. It has been soundly defeated by your Lord Jesus for you. For your “God has visited His people!” He has visited you in mercy via His Word and Sacrament to give you His peace, joy, and life through the forgiveness of all of your sins that He earned with His own suffering and death on the cross. Death and crying may go hand in hand for now, but there will come a day–the Last Day when our Lord Jesus returns–when death will be forever undone and all weeping will cease, to be forever replaced with joy and laughter. You have His Word on it. And His Word to you is, “I say to you, arise.” Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.