​Lent 5 – Judica                                                                                                                                                     March 21, 2021
Exodus 20:1-2, 17b - The Tenth Commandment
 
Troubles of the Heart
 
Exodus 20:1-2, 17b   And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of  slavery… 17 “…you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
 
LSC  You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, manservant or maidservant, ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbour’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.
 
Dear friends in Christ, “the grass is always greener on the other side,” isn’t it?  Having heard previously how we are not to covet (that is, sinfully desire) anything that belongs to our neighbour—ie, his possessions—we now hear that we are also forbidden to desire any personal relationships our neighbour may have—be it with family, friends, or workers.  Now the root cause of all unholy desires in our hearts is found in our own desire to be God, just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden.  They desired to be God and were then quick to disobey His Word, thereby plunging the world into darkness and sin and death.  So, we must always bear in mind how coveting in the heart leads to other, more flagrant and obvious sins.
Take for example the greatest of all Israel’s earthly kings—David.  David coveted Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba.  This led to even further sin—adultery, lies, and murder—all from simple coveting.  This is proven time and time again.  And we don’t have to look all the way back to the Old Testament for examples—indeed, we have plenty of evidence for this in our own lives.  We see men and women scheme to get other people’s spouses or boyfriends/girlfriends—attempting to seduce them and lead them astray.  We may even give bad counsel and urge the break-up of friendships or marriages rather than reconciliation.  We at times encourage people not to be completely faithful to their family, vocation, job or employees.  We manipulate and strive to control people for our own benefit—to satisfy our covetous desires.
God calls us in this commandment to be content with what He has given us—whom He has given us.  Yet we are constantly dissatisfied with His blessings—craving more and overcome by greed—we seek to get that which God has not given us and belongs to another, thereby destroying relationships with friend, family, and neighbour alike.  We want more—we want to be in control—and we will get what we want—how we want—who cares what God says.
Perhaps this kind of attitude can be seen best in our jealous attitudes toward others—everyone else’s family seems to be so less screwed up than ours, doesn’t it?  Oh, sure, we may put on a good front in public, but behind closed doors, we know how messed up things are—and we secretly desire the apparently perfect life of another—despising the life and the people and things that God has generously bestowed upon us in His mercy.  “Her husband does so much more around the house than mine.  His wife never burns dinner!  Those kids sure are well-behaved—could we trade?”
Beloved, sin has clouded our eyes to the wondrous truth and blessings that God has given us, just as it has twisted our hearts to desire things...and yes, even people, that are not ours.  Therefore, God in His mercy has set out to mend our broken hearts—how?—by restore the relationship that exists between us and Him. 
Remember that our sin has resulted in eternal separation from God and His kingdom.  Left to our own devices we would be forever lost and condemned—doomed to suffer in hell for all time.  Yet God, in Christ, coveted us—our souls—so much—that He set a plan in motion to rescue us—to deliver us and bring us back into a right relationship with Him. 
In Jesus Christ, our Saviour, this plan has come to full fruition.  For “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying ‘Abba! Father!’  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:4-7).
You see that in Christ God has reconciled you to Himself—making you heirs of all His blessings through the waters of Baptism wherein He adopted you and made you His own dear children through faith in Jesus.  God has changed your heart by pouring His own Spirit into it—one that cries out to Him for every good thing—one that repents of sin and yet trusts in the mercy of God for Christ’s sake to forgive that sin.  Indeed, “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10a).
Dear friends, as Paul says (2 Corinthians 17-19a), “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them…”  You see, you are those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, who gave His life on the cross to pay the punishment for your sinful/covetous desires.  In Christ, covered in His blood, you are clean—your sin is removed—and in its place you now have life and righteousness to the full—as God’s gift through faith in Jesus.
Now, to be sure, this side of heaven your hearts are still corrupted by sin.  We still desire things that are not rightly ours and scheme to get them in any way possible.  Yet remember that God in Christ Jesus has put to death the Old Adam within you—drowned him in your Baptism—that by His grace a New Adam may arise and live within you—one who desires to do God’s will.  When tempted to do evil—when your heart begins to stray—remember all that Christ has done for you—remember that He, too, was tempted, yet resisted Satan with the Word of God.  That weapon of the Spirit is yours as well—to skewer Satan and to curb sinful lusts and desires. 
For the Word of Christ is living and active and powerful.  The Word creates and sustains faith in your hearts—leads you to repentance and faith for the forgiveness of all your sins.  For the Word is the very cradle of Jesus Himself—come to you to redeem and heal, to restore and lift up.  His Word declares in no uncertain terms that by Jesus' ultimate suffering and death on the cross and by His rising again—your sin is paid in full—you are completely forgiven and so also receive His eternal life and salvation.  For “you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 7:23a) and belong to God.  The chains of the slavery of sin that so captivated your heart have been broken by His sacrifice and you have been set free.
In the Holy Supper our Lord Jesus Himself comes to you to strengthen and restore you after a long week of having been tempted by sin, suffered evil, given over to evil in your hearts again and again.  His precious body and blood that you eat and drink purge your soul from sin and revive you with His own life-giving Spirit—beating back the assaults of the devil—He builds up your faith in Him by forgiving you your manifold sins.  For He covets you like no other.  He has gone to great lengths to purchase you back from the hell you were living in and has brought you to His own heavenly kingdom.  This is all done by grace.  No merit or worthiness on your part at all.  For in Christ Jesus you are freely given everything that your heart could ever need, want, or desire.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Lent Midweek 4                                                                                                                                                    March 17, 2021
Exodus 20:1-2, 17a - The Ninth Commandment
 
Inside and Out
 
Exodus 20:1-2, 17a   And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of  slavery… 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house;
 
LSC  You shall not covet your neighbour’s house.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbour’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.
 
Dear friends in Christ, so...“What would you do for a Klondike Bar?”  Though quite silly, in fact this question goes to the heart and root of the matter before us this evening—desire—coveting.  This is something that most advertisements play upon in order to get people to purchase their product or service.  They lead us to think and desire whatever it is that they are providing in such terms that without their product our life would not be full or complete.  They urge us to give in to our desires and follow our hearts.
Of course, that is precisely the problem.  Our hearts.  They are by nature sinful and unclean—therefore, except by the grace of God alone—most things that we desire fall into this category.  For in this commandment coveting refers to having a sinful desire for anything that belongs to our neighbour—to want something in a sinful way that God has not given us.  Rather, we are to be content with what God has given us and to assist our neighbour in keeping what God has given him.
So...are you truly content with all that you have?  Is there nothing else, nothing more that you desire?  You see, these last two commandments are given to people to help us see how truly sinful we truly are.  For in the previous eight commandments we could theoretically look upon them in only a very superficial or external manner and believe therein that we have truly kept them rightly.  “I haven’t bowed down to another God; I haven’t misused God’s name; I always attend church; I honour my parents; I haven’t murdered, stolen, or spoken ill of my neighbour.”  Doing pretty good so far, right?  Then come these last two commandments—that deal not with external issues—but internal—they deal in matters of the heart.
As St. James writes (1:14-15), “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”  Furthermore, Paul says in Romans (7:5, 7-8a), “For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death...What then shall we say?  That the law is sin?  By no means!  Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.  For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’  But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness.”
So these commandments regarding coveting are here to remind us that we are all sinners.  The command against coveting puts “teeth” into the other commandments, for we recognize by our sinful desires just how truly sinful we are and how often we have broken all the commandments of our God.
What is worse, we are so very sinful that we can break this commandment even when we appear to get things in a lawful and just manner.  As Dr. Luther notes in his Large Catechism, “Now, this happens most often in cases that are brought into court, where it is the purpose to get something from our neighbour and to force him from his property.  For example, when people quarrel and wrangle about a large inheritance, real estate, or such they help themselves and resort to whatever appears right.  They dress and adorn everything so that the law must favour their side” (LC Par. 301).
“For our natural instinct, dear friends, is that no one wants to see someone else have as much as himself.  Each one acquires as much as he can” (LC Par.297).  It’s all right, we think, to “keep up with the Jones’s” as long as we are the Jones’s, remembering that “whoever dies with the most toys…wins.”  We crave and desire all sorts of things and will do almost anything to get them—turning these things into idols—and ourselves into false gods.  For the covetous desire is nothing less than a lack of trust in God to provide and give us what we need.  We often behave like little children who throw tantrums and fits because we do not get our way or what we desire—we may not show it—we may only rage and roil and crave in our hearts—but God knows—God sees—and God condemns all such desires as sinful and wrong, with no exceptions.
Thanks be to God that His desires are so much better than our own.  For He desires something wonderful and good—that you be justified before Him and that your sin be wiped away.  To this end the Father sent the Son so that by His perfect life, death, and resurrection your sin may be overcome—the fruit of your sin—death—might be removed and you be given life. 
Indeed, God’s holy desire to call you His own and to make you His own brought Jesus to the cross of Calvary.  His desire for you was such that He willingly endured shame, torture, disgrace, the full wrath of God for each and every single sin of yours—past, present, or future—and that He would die for you, in your place.  Indeed, as Paul writes to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:3b-6a) “God our Saviour...desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all...”
Dear friends, the blood of Christ cleanses you from all your sin—both inside and out.  For we sin far more internally than externally.  The corrupt and evil thoughts and desires that reside within our sinful flesh are too many for us to count or keep track of.  But God knows them all and forgives them all because of Jesus’ work on the cross for you—by His stripes you are healed.
Beloved, God’s desire for you is that you be perfect as He is perfect—that you be holy as He is holy.  Because of our sin that was an impossibility for us.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus, however, that His good desire has overcome all your sin of thought, word, and deed.  In Baptism, the Lord has graciously bestowed upon you all that rightly belonged to Christ—His perfect holiness—His pure righteousness—His salvation and life.  It is yours as a free gift through faith in the One whom God, “For our sake[...]made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Holy Spirit has come into you through the Word and the Sacraments to shape your will—your desires—according to His own.  By His grace you are led to desire those things that are good, right, and salutary—orthodox preaching and teaching of God’s Word—the Holy Sacraments—the welfare of your neighbour.  To be sure, this side of heaven, you are still entirely corrupted by sin, but you are also a saint—holy and righteous in His sight—washed in the blood of the Lamb—who suffered and died for you.  In Him you have the fulfillment of all your greatest desires.  For in Him you receive hope, peace, love, joy, forgiveness, life, and salvation.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Lent 4 – Laetare                                                                                                                                                   March 14, 2021
Exodus 20:1-2, 16 - The Eighth Commandment
 
Digging Through The Dirt
 
Exodus 20:1-2, 16   And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of  slavery… 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."
 
LSC  You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbour, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.
 
Beloved in Christ, having heard in the previous commandments about how we are to guard the treasures God has given us of life, spouse, and property, we now turn our attention to another precious gift of God—that of our good reputation—our good name.  For this commandment was given to protect one’s name and reputation.  When we communicate in ways that do not uphold our neighbour’s name and reputation we break this commandment.  As Dr. Luther summarizes it for us in his Large Catechism (Par.285), “Let no one do any harm to his neighbour with the tongue, whether friend or foe.  Do not speak evil of him, no matter whether it is true or false, unless it is done by commandment or for his reformation.  Let everyone use his tongue and make it serve for the best of everyone else...”
We have all seen and felt in our own lives, personally, the terrible effect the misuse of the tongue can have on a person.  We have been the object of ridicule and lies.  We have witnessed the malicious whisperings done in the corner at the party—those who suddenly become quiet when we walked into the room.  Those of us on social media have felt the vicious attacks from friend as well as complete strangers, when we post something that is not in keeping with the current societal trends.  We know the pain and frustration there is in having one’s reputation—one’s good name—drug through the mud of the community in which we live.  What’s worse—we’ve participated in this same activity toward others.
Though this commandment particularly is speaking to those who speak at a public trial, it is not limited to those circumstances when we may be called before a judge to give testimony.  It applies to the world—where everyone bears false witness against his neighbour in his heart—by speaking or even thinking ill of him.  But that is the problem, isn’t it?  We prefer to hear/speak evil rather than good of someone else—it makes us feel better about ourselves, right?  However, somewhat ironically, we want others only to speak well of us—and become irate when we receive the same treatment we’ve been dishing out.
Indeed, the tongue is a wondrous gift of God, given to us to sing praises to Him—but we misuse it greatly.  James writes about this very issue in his epistle (3:7-10), “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
But they are.  Sure, we may try to cover up our malignant use of the tongue by saying that we are simply “venting” to a friend about someone else; or, that we are seeking their advice about a particular issue.  However, have you talked to the person you are complaining about?  Are you sharing these things to bring about reconciliation or change among a person—or, are you simply spreading the dirt around?  Even as your pastor—if you have a problem with someone else in the church—you are to first approach them—to speak with them in love and humility—before even thinking of coming to me.
What is the old adage that so many mothers teach their children?  “If you can’t say anything nice—then don’t say anything at all.”  Would that we at least tried to hold to this virtue!  But we don’t.  We are quick to judge—quick to murder and slander people in our hearts—and then go spread the bad news around as quickly as we can. 
What is worse is when we speak things about and to people that aren’t entirely true or accurate.  Luther reminds us that we are to constantly speak well of our neighbour, defend his reputation, and put the best construction on everything.  But rather than building people up—we prefer to tear them down—being very quick to put the worst possible construction on any given matter that we can—thinking the worst about family and friends—and especially enemies—whom we are supposed to love with the love of Christ.  This is particularly easy to do on social media nowadays, isn't it?  We see a post that we disagree with—the anger/hatred wells up within our hearts—and then we let fly—blast them with everything we've got—whether we even know the person or not.  This so-called "righteous anger" is a dangerous thing—studies are proving that it is even addicting—so much so—that people may spend hours a day searching through social media, just to be able to attack those who hold a differing viewpoint than they do on a certain issue.
And, beloved, don't think for one minute that we are immune to this in the holy church.  For herein we also readily and frequently besmirch one another—flinging dirt left and right—not caring who gets caught in the crossfire.  We let our emotions run away with us and we tear apart the body of Christ that is supposed to be one in Him.  Many a congregation has been destroyed by gossip and lies spoken by the children of God about one another.  For shame!  We do this and the world laughs and rejects us and the message we bring of Christ.  For if we can't share the love of Christ with each other—how can we expect others to listen to us when we speak of Him who is love incarnate?
Yet it is so very easy to ruin someone’s reputation—to speak ill of him—without even really meaning to.  For example, what if you saw me leaving Sha Sha’s resort some time—a place renowned for its cheap drinks and plentiful rum—and I stumbled and fell.  What would you automatically think?  That, perhaps pastor had had a few too many rum and cokes?  What if you had told someone else who had told someone else who told someone else—before you know it, Pastor Quast is known as the drunk clergyman of Fort Frances and International Falls.  All this despite the fact that I just happen to be a major clutz and didn’t even have a single alcoholic beverage.  But the damage would already be done.  And this sort of thing happens all the time.
The best example of this sort of thing is our Lord Jesus Himself.  At each of His trials there were false witnesses who came forward to speak against Him—spewing their filthy lies as truth.  Even though their own statements didn’t agree, yet Jesus was convicted and sentenced to death. 
Jesus never spoke lies.  He always spoke the truth for He “is the way, the Truth and the life.”  Through Him and His truth are all sins forgiven—all sinners saved.  From the cross, Jesus did not even speak evil of those who had falsely accused Him and sent Him to that horrible death—rather He spoke words of forgiveness and love, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 
In the shed blood of Jesus we are all forgiven for the sins of the tongue that we have committed—either in speaking evil of someone—or in failing to speak good of them and defend them from attack.  We are even cleansed of the guilt of our hearts and minds where we have thought negatively about those around us.  We are so very quick to judge—yet Christ, the ultimate Judge of all—was judged in our place—a guilty verdict placed over His head that by His suffering and death—our sin might be atoned for. 
All the dirt that we fling toward others—all the dirt that has been cast upon us—Christ has gathered it all—and in His great sacrifice He has shed His blood to cleanse us from all sin.  He took our evil into His own innocent flesh—giving us His innocence—so that the Father would declare Him guilty and forsaken, rather than us.  All this Jesus willingly did—to purify you from all unrighteousness—to pardon your sin. 
In the Sacrament of Holy Absolution hear the Word of God spoken to you, personally.  Jesus speaks through me, His unworthy servant, to speak to you a word of ultimate kindness and grace—a word of comfort and peace—a word of hope and life—a Word of ultimate Truth—that “In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  What Jesus says to you is true—and real—forever and ever.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Lent Midweek 3                                                                                                                                                    March 10, 2021
Exodus 20:1-2, 15 - The Seventh Commandment
 
Divine Theft
 
Exodus 20:1-2, 15   And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of  slavery… 15 “You shall not steal."
 
LSC  You shall not steal.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbour’s money or possessions, nor get them in any dishonest way, but help to improve and protect his possessions and income.
 
Dear friends in Christ, having looked in the Second Table of the Law thus far, at commandments relating about your neighbour’s health and well-being, the relationship between husband and wife, we now examine the commandment about temporal property.  You see, God wants property protected.  Stealing is not only physically taking other’s possessions, but also taking advantage of them in some way.  Therefore, when we consider the world through all conditions of life, it is nothing but a vast mall, full of thieves.
How can that be, you ask?  This one seems so simple, so easy—don’t take what doesn’t rightfully belong to you—from the candy in the store—to your neighbour’s car or jewels—to the money in the bank vault—if it isn’t yours—hands off!  Indeed, in some countries that is the punishment for thieves—having their hands literally cut off—thereby removing their ability to physically lay their hands on that which is not theirs.
Now, it certainly is easy to see many examples of this commandment being broken in the world today.  After all, we don’t live too far away from Winnipeg, car theft capital of Canada.  Yet there is more to this commandment from God than merely grabbing something that isn’t yours and running away with it.  It is far more than simply getting possession of another’s property wrongfully, like downloading music or movies illegally from the internet.
No, indeed.  First and foremost, theft is a condition of the heart—a lack of trust in God (there’s that first commandment again!)—that results in greed and dishonesty and laziness.  For we break this commandment not only by taking from others, but also by failing to help our neighbour to improve and protect his income and possessions.  We fail to help our neighbour in every need.  We begrudge our neighbour that which is theirs—be it their salary—their home—their fancy boat—etc.—that is stealing from them in our hearts.
Nor do we always give generously as we ought to those who are poor and needy.  We steal from God by not giving back to Him fully of our time, talents, and treasures.  Why?  Because we don’t really trust Him to take care of us—we feel that we need to look out for number one—ourselves.  So we cheat others—sometimes very craftily—sometimes even legally—to get what we want, but have not rightly earned.  We show disrespect to other people’s property.  We neglect our responsibilities in our various vocations—stealing from family, friends, and neighbour alike, by not being there for them when they need us. 
Some businesses steal by not providing a good product or service that is equal to the price paid.  Workers steal from their employers—either by taking equipment/supplies for personal use without paying for them—or by simply not putting in an honest day’s labour for a day’s wage.  And all of these things are damnable sins before God—each and every one.
We practically steal with every breath that we take—harbouring ill will toward our neighbour—begrudging him what is his—refusing to care for those who are in need.  Yet God will avenge this—He hears the cries of the poor and needy who have been taken advantage of—He listens to their cries for vengeance—and He will repay.  Just as He did with Achan who stole when the Israelites conquered Jericho—he was swallowed up into the ground.
Why do we do this?  Because we are faithless scoundrels who feel that we must provide for ourselves—not really trusting in God to “give us this day our daily bread” as we pray in the Lord’s prayer.  We grow distraught when our retirement portfolios don’t look as good as we think they should.  We grow alarmed at rising inflation costs.  Yet we fail to look to the One who controls all things—and who has promised to always take care of you—no matter what.
Therein lies your hope—in looking to God in Christ Jesus.  He liberally dispenses His blessings with abundant mercy and generosity.  By His great work on the cross wherein He “stole” your sins from you to suffer and die for them in your place—He has given you that which does not rightly belong to you—but nevertheless is His to bestow—perfect righteousness and life and salvation.  If you will recall, Jesus was numbered with the transgressors—being crucified in the midst of two thieves.  Because He took your place upon the cross—took your sin into Himself—He was rightly numbered among them—being the greatest thief of all—He suffered and died for you.
By doing so, Jesus has stolen you from the power of the devil, from sin, and from death.  Through His holy church He brings healing and forgiveness—bestowing what He earned with His own life, death, and resurrection—upon you—unworthy sinners.  Yet, in His love, grace, and mercy—He is happy to do so.  He takes care of you like no one else.  He gives you not just what you want—but what you truly need—His own shed blood and holiness.  This you receive in His Word and Sacraments given to you—that you might be forgiven—be made holy and right with God—justified before Him—cleansed from all guilt of sin and death.
Jesus has done what no one else could do.  He has stolen you back from the brink of hell—by paying a high price indeed—the eternal wrath and fury of the Father on account of your sin and mine.  For Christ perfectly fulfilled and kept this commandment for you—never once taking what wasn’t rightfully His—except for sin.  This burden He gladly took so that He might do away with it once and for all—burying it in His tomb—and rising in victory over it on the Third Day.  He worked tirelessly to earn the forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation for you—and He gives it to you freely—by His grace through faith in Him alone.
So, dear friends, having been fully pardoned for your theft by the atoning blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Having this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped [or stolen], but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” Philippians 2:4-11.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Lent 3 – Oculi                                                                                                                                                        March 7, 2021
Exodus 20:1-2, 14 - The Sixth Commandment
 
Love and Marriage
 
Exodus 20:1-2, 13   And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of  slavery… 14 “You shall not commit adultery.
 
LSC  You shall not commit adultery.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honour each other.
 
Dear friends in Christ, this morning we are going to be talking about a rather sensitive subject—one that is not often openly discussed in church—sex—especially as it pertains to the institution of marriage.  Marriage is an excellent thing—a matter of divine seriousness.  God honours this estate highly for by His command He both approves and guards it.  Think back to Genesis.  The Lord instituted marriage before all other estates—indeed, He created man and woman separately so that they might live together in marriage, be fruitful, bear children, and then nourish and train them in the fear and love of God.
And yet today, dear friends, no other institution on earth, with the exception of the holy Christian church herself, is under more attack, than that of marriage.  We see this in skyrocketing divorce rates among both younger couples and older couples—indeed, so-called “grey divorce” (divorce between people who have been married for 25 years or more) is on the rise.  We have seen the traditional definition of marriage—as that lifelong union between one man and one woman—undone by our governments approving “gay marriage,” and it is further threatened by polygamy, living together before and without marriage, as well as adultery and fornication.
With all of these attacks on marriage—a divine institution by God—why are we still so silent?  Why are we not more vocal—both inside and outside of church?  Christian families as well as pagan, unbelieving families, are deeply affected by divorce—“broken homes” being the norm today—with children living with an assortment of “parents” and their current love interest—there is no base—no solid support system for many children—and yet people wonder why so many children suffer from behavioural issues.
Are we silent because we are afraid of the world?  Afraid of their reaction to our “stodgy and conservative” attitude toward sex and marriage?  Sometimes this is so, as we see more and more backlash against people who do speak out: jobs are lost, lawsuits are threatened, not to mention the public shaming on social media against any who hold to traditional views of marriage, sex, and family. 
But perhaps we are also afraid of that three letter “s” word, sex, and don’t feel it is right to discuss it openly in the church.  Yet the Scriptures themselves teach us that sex is a good gift of God, as long as it is practised in the bonds of holy matrimony.  For through this He allows human beings to participate in His creative work, by bringing forth children into the world.  Therefore, God has set up all other institutions, such as government, to provide for the support and benefit of marriage.
Though this commandment takes specific aim at the sin of adultery (that is, when a married person gets intimately involved with someone who is not their spouse—either physically, emotionally, or both), yet this commandment also is directed against all kinds of unchastity.  And we don’t have to look very hard to find a whole host of examples for this kind of thing, do we?  From prostitution, to abuse, rape, homosexuality, pornography, lewdness (inappropriate dress), to obscenity (gross and inappropriate jokes or gestures or words).  Fornication (ie sex before marriage or outside of marriage—especially those who live together—playing at marriage, but with no commitment), divorce, adultery, as well as forced chastity (that is, enforced celibacy on priests, monks, nuns, etc.) are all types of unchaste behaviour.  Even within the bonds of traditional marriage, husband and wife can sin against this commandment by treating each other as objects for personal pleasure, rather than good gifts of God to be cherised.
Very few people have been given the gift, and it is a gift from God, of being able to lead a completely celibate lifestyle.  Therefore, chastity is not a matter of simply vowing to live a celibate life (like our Roman Catholic friends seem to think—ie that being a celibate person is better than another), but rather true chastity is found in honouring God and one’s spouse with one’s whole being:  thoughts, words and deeds.
          And there is the crux of the matter, isn’t it?  Some of us may be tempted to think that we have kept this commandment rather well in our lives.  We don’t use foul or disrespectful language—we have never cheated on our spouse—we have never succumbed to the tempting addiction of pornography—etc.  Hear Christ’s words to those who think this way (Matthew 5:27-28).  “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
          Well, that does it right there, doesn’t it?  Thought.  You may be able to control yourself physically and resist sexual temptation, however it comes to you.  You may even be able to keep a tight rein on your lips and how you speak, but you cannot—CANNOT—control the depths of your heart.  Jesus says (Matthew 15:19-20a), “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.  These are what defile a person.”  As soon as some good-looking individual walks by on the street, or at the beach, or is paraded before you on TV—where does your mind often go?—the gutter!  We don’t mean to.  We certainly don’t want to think that way as Christians—but we DO. 
          And we break this commandment even worse by the way we talk about and practise marriage before others—especially our children.  We don’t love and honour each other rightly.  We don’t give freely of ourselves to our spouse in all things.  More than ever we need a Saviour to rescue us from the deadly situation in which we find ourselves.  We do not love one another as St. Paul directs in 1 Corinthians 13, so often read at weddings—for our love is not perfect—our love is not selfless.  Nor do we submit to one another sacrificially as Paul directs in Ephesians 5.  Wives fail to respect their husbands and husbands fail to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.
          But therein we also see our hope and our salvation.  For our love—our commitment—our honour—toward our bodies and the bodies of our spouse—or those of our neighbour—is not what it should be.  Indeed, everyone should love and value the spouse that God gave to them (or pray that God will give to them).  “Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33)  For where marital chastity is to be maintained, man and wife must by all means live together in love and harmony.  Then one may cherish the other from the heart, and with complete faithfulness.  For harmony is one of the principle points that enkindles love and desire for chastity, so that, where this is found, chastity will follow without any command.  If we truly loved, honoured and respected one another as we are supposed to—we would never stray—nor would we even be tempted to do so. 
          But our hearts often not filled with love—but lust.  Indeed, what many people today call “love” is actually “lust” of the flesh—a desire for personal gratification and nothing more—to use another person is not to love them.  We hurt and harm one another by what we say, think, and do, causing rifts in marriage—disparaging Christ and His church—through spousal and child abuse—divorce—hurtful words and angry shouts.  We have much to repent of.
          We need—we absolutely must have—a purity and holiness that is found somewhere other than within our own corrupt sin-blackened hearts.  Once again, we find that Jesus is the answer.  Jesus is our Saviour.  For though He was tempted in every way that we are—yet He was without sin.  He withstood the assaults of the devil and even those of the flesh and the world—His relationship with every woman He encountered was one of chastity and love and respect.  As He was never married (contrary to the fanciful theories of Dan Brown and the Discovery Channel), He lived a perfectly celibate life, while at the same time honouring the estate of marriage by performing His first miracle at a wedding celebration.
          The Lord Christ perfectly kept this commandment in all that He thought, said, and did.  And by virtue of your faith—His life of sexual purity decency—is now yours as well.  His chaste and true love for all people is given to you as though it rightfully belongs to you—and because of your faith in Him—it truly does! 
          He has taken your lustful thoughts and deeds—He has taken your many sins—and borne them to the cross in His own flesh—that by the sacrifice of His body into death—the sins of your body might be taken away.  Removed by the blood of Jesus.  His holy body sanctifies your body and soul.  Breaking the bonds of sin and death—Christ has breathed into you His life and perfection. 
          Through His mystical union with His bride, the church, Christ has washed and sanctified each of you in the cleansing and redeeming tide of His blood.  The stain and guilt of your sin has been removed and in its place you now wear the pure white robe of Christ’s own righteousness.  For in Him and through Him you have forgiveness, life, and salvation.  For He has loved you perfectly, and selflessly given Himself over to the just wrath of God for your sin and death—that by His death and resurrection—you might be set free.  Now that is love and marriage at its very best.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Lent Midweek 2                                                                                                                                                      March 3, 2021
Exodus 20:1-2, 13 - The Fifth Commandment
 
A New Heart
 
Exodus 20:1-2, 13   And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of  slavery… 13 “You shall not murder.
 
LSC  You shall not murder.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbour in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.
 
Beloved in Christ, life is precious.  It is a sacred and holy gift from God.  Life is to be honoured and cherished by all...for all...no matter how young...how old...how big...how small.  Because, as Horton says in Dr. Seuss’ children’s classic, Horton Hears a Who, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”  Unfortunately, we live in a culture of death.  We live in a society that is taking an increasingly lower and lower view of the sanctity and uniqueness of human life.  From organizations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), which raise the life of animals to be on par, or even of higher value, than human life—to radical environmentalist groups that view humankind as some kind of plague of vermin on the earth that needs to be destroyed so that the earth may be saved from our pollution and degradation.
Furthermore, Canada and the U.S. have long allowed the murder of the most innocent and helpless human beings—the unborn—for decades (Canada has no laws to restrict abortion, whereas the U.S. varies by state to state).  There are also groups advocating doctor assisted suicide and euthanasia for those who are sick, or mentally or physically handicapped—this is now wholly acceptable and legal in Canada, but again varies in the U.S.  We have a way of viewing the importance and value of a life in purely pragmatic terms.  “Are you a productive member of society or not?  Can you do me some good or not?  If not, then you might as well be dead—because you are a waste of resources and energy—a pox upon the planet.”  Chilling, indeed.
And quite contrary to God’s concept of life.  Human beings were created in His image and likeness—given intelligence—compassion—a soul.  That is why God commands, rather specifically, that no one is allowed to take a human life—except God Himself—or lawful government as His earthly representative to promote justice.  For God views each individual person as someone who is unique and special to Him—God values each person so highly that He was willing to send His only-begotten Son to live, suffer, and die for them that they might be set free from the bondage of sin and death.  You see, contrary to the world—God sees death as the ultimate enemy—something that needed to be undone—which is precisely what Christ has done in His resurrection.
Now so many people—Christian and non-Christian alike—think that this is perhaps the easiest commandment to keep.  Just don’t murder anyone and you’re good, right?  Wrong!  Jesus says quite clearly in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-22), “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgement.’  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”  Jesus equates harbouring anger or hatred in your heart for another person to murdering them in the heart—thereby earning God’s wrath and displeasure in hell.
What is more, God doesn’t just forbid the act of murder or hatred, but any sort of hurt or harm to our neighbour.  In addition, He requires that we should instead support and help our neighbour in every bodily need—be kind and compassionate toward all—this is one reason why our congregations have taken such careful measures to protect each other during this pandemic—out of love for our neighbour we may wear masks, use hand sanitizer, resist the urge to shake hands and hug one another, etc.  Furthermore, we are to avoid, as well as assist our neighbour in avoiding, any kind of substance abuse that harms the body or mind. 
So...have you ever smoked a joint..been drunk?  Lost your temper?  Hated someone?  Held a grudge or been resentful toward someone?  Have you ignored the plight of the helpless?  Have you treated your body as a temple to the Holy Spirit, or have you abused it by gluttony, drugs, addiction, etc.?  Have you ever taken someone’s life?  Have you ever wished that you had...or could have?
Dear friends, you are all murderers—we are all guilty before God and each other.  When we honestly examine our hearts—our inmost thoughts and feelings—we see that they are full of sin, vice, hatred, anger, frustration, and lacking in compassion, mercy, and love and pity. 
For you have broken this commandment not only if you have done evil, but also if you have failed to do good!  It is like seeing someone in distress in the lake as you pass by in your boat and you don’t extend a hand to help them.  You are guilty of their death, just the same as if you had pushed them in the lake yourself.  Though we may not kill, we curse and wish ill upon others in our hearts—friends and enemies alike—and in God’s eyes—that is murder.
God wants to remove the root and source by which the heart is embittered against our neighbour.  There is only one way to do this—a radical surgery must take place—we must receive a heart transplant—from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  For Christ our Lord had a heart of true compassion and mercy for all people, in every need.  He healed the sick and the lame.  He fed the poor and starving.  He forgave the penitent sinner.  He raised the dead to life.
Our God is not a God of the dead, but the living!  Jesus has come and undone the damage and pain and suffering of death with His own suffering and death on the cross.  He has paid the deadly price for your murderous thoughts, words, and deeds.  He has borne the wrath of God in His own flesh while on tree of Calvary, thereby earning with His own blood, forgiveness and righteousness for evil people like you and me. 
Christ Jesus rose from the dead to procure life and salvation for all people.  It was mankind’s fault that death entered into God’s good creation.  It was mankind’s fault that sin erupted and murder ensued so quickly, as the story of Cain and Abel illustrates.  But God is merciful.  God is generous.  Did He kill Cain in response?  No.  He let him live, and even placed a mark upon him so that no one would find and kill him. 
Dear friends, the Lord has marked you for life as well.  In your Baptism, God has washed away the stain and stink of death.  He cleanses your heart and bends it toward His Word and will.  From Him and His Word we learn to calm our own wrath and to have a patient, gentle heart, especially toward our enemies and those who do us evil.  We are schooled by God’s Word to look to our neighbour’s good and benefit, even when they do us wrong.  This is the working of the Holy Spirit in your lives—as you are refreshed, encouraged, and enlivened by the Gospel of Jesus in Word and Sacrament—receiving His body and blood given into death for your life—you are now able, finally, at long last, to actually serve your neighbour in joy and gladness.
When this happens, rejoice and give thanks and praise to God—for it is all His doing in your life!  When it doesn’t happen.  When you feel the anger burn deeply within—the murderous thoughts well up in your hearts—then flee to Christ Jesus in repentance—let go your sin—and give it to Christ—for He has already borne it for you on the cross—and He will give you healing of heart, mind, and body—and grant you salvation and life everlasting.  Indeed, we are wont to pray with King David in Psalm 51:10, (after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, Uriah, to try and cover up his sin), "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."  And by God's grace, He does—He washes you thoroughly of your iniquity and cleanses you from your sin (Psalm 51:2).  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Lent 2 - Reminiscere                                                                                                                              February 28, 2021
The Fourth Commandment
 
A Matter of Family Honour
 
Exodus 20:1-2, 7 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of  slavery… 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."
 
LSC  Honour your father and your mother.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honour them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.
 
Beloved in Christ, this morning we are going to switch gears a little bit.  Previously, we have examined and meditated upon the First Table of the Law—ie, the first three commandments of our God that instruct us in our proper disposition toward Him, His Name, and His Word/Church.  The Fourth Commandment begins the Second Table of the Law, which focuses upon our relationships with other people.  With whom do you first have a relationship?  Your parents.  We will see how our honour and respect for our parents extends to our honour and respect toward all authorities whom God has placed over us in government, school, work, the church, or anywhere else.  For God instituted all authority as an extension of parental authority for our good.  And by honouring them—we honour God—and truly do good in His sight.
Indeed, it is fitting that during this season of Lent—a time not only for fasting, but also doing good works, that Luther says honouring our parents, “is the highest work we can do, after the grand divine worship included in the previous commandments.  Giving to the poor and every other good work toward our neighbour is not equal to this.  For God has assigned parenthood the highest place.  Yes, He has set it up in His own place upon the earth” (Par. 125-126).  You want an extra good work to do?  Look no further than honouring your parents and other authorities—be they teachers, government officials, pastors, etc.—for they have been put over you by God to protect, care for, nurture, and guide you.  This one work, which has God’s express command and promise, is better than all the fasting in the world.
But what is honour?  How are we to honour parents and other authorities?  Other cultures have a real sense of honour, but ours has largely done away with the concept of honour.  Dr. Luther noted that to rightly honour someone is to behave toward them in all modesty, humility, and submission.  We do so, not because they are deserving in and of themselves, but rather because of the office which they hold, either as parent or authority, which is born from the hidden majesty of God in them.  For God is a God of order.  And He has created all things to be in submission to Himself and His lawful representatives, be they in the church, the state/government, or the home.
In particular, this commandment sets parents above all others because we are required not only to love, but also to honour them.  We are to love all people—even our enemies—but herein we are instructed to honour parents as extensions of God’s authority over us.  We are not to deprive them of their honour simply because of their failings or conduct.  Indeed, we are to care for and honour them in all things, even when they go too far—for this is pleasing in God’s sight.  Why?  Because this work is included in and controlled by the very Word of God and His command.
When we examine our lives and ask ourselves those tough questions of the Law, we find that we have not honoured, obeyed, served, loved, or cherished our parents and other authorities with all gladness and joy.  We regularly break the laws of our town, state/province, and country—especially motor vehicle laws.  We are often overbearing toward others in our households and workplaces.  More importantly, we have failed to properly discipline and catechize our children as God would have us.  Throwing before them other activities and things as of higher importance than God and His Word, thereby leading them astray, and betraying our children’s trust to instruct them in the way of the Lord.  We have often failed to honour our pastors as God’s undershepherds among us—disparaging them and their work.
Even though God uses others in authority in their daily vocations to give us food, house, home, protection, and security, yet there is still much misery and misfortune in the world.  Why?  Because everyone desires to be their own master and cares nothing for anyone—doing only what pleases themselves.  This selfishness—this rebellion against God and authority—is rooted in sin—wherein our first parents first rebelled against God the Father—and we have continued this longstanding tradition. 
What is worse is that we feel our misfortune, we murmur and complain of peoples’ unfaithfulness, violence, and injustice around the world and we blame God for allowing such wickedness to continue, all the while forgetting that we are guilty and deserving of this punishment—for we are the problem!  We are the guilty ones.  With our lack of respect, honour, and love exhibited toward authorities, we deserve God’s wrath and punishment. 
Yet thanks be to God that it is not our works, our honour, our respect, our obedience that make us holy and acceptable in His sight.  Rather it is faith in Jesus Christ.  Good works serve our neighbour, but do not cleanse us of the guilt of our sin—only Jesus can do that. 
Jesus always honoured authority in His life.  From submitting to His earthly parents as a child, to respecting the civil government, as is evidenced by His proclaiming the duty of citizens to pay taxes to their government.  Christ always honoured His heavenly Father in all that He thought, said, and did.  With His acts of love and charity toward all people, He gave honour and glory to His Father.
His ultimate fulfillment of this was shown in His willingness to lay down His life for you and me on the cross.  Remember how He prayed in the Garden on the night in which He was betrayed?  “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done”  (Luke 22:42).  He gave His life as a ransom for sin—yours and mine—that by the shedding of His innocent blood, we might be cleansed from all our sin.  Why?  Because it was the will of His Father, whom He honoured and adored.
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is in control of all things and by His authority His Church baptizes, Absolves, distributes His Supper, and proclaims forgiveness of sins in His name alone. 
Our very salvation depended upon Christ’s keeping this commandment perfectly—even when it meant submission unto death and hell—so that He could suffer God’s wrath over our sin and thereby rescue us from our enemies.  He did this so that we might enjoy long life on the earth now, and in heaven for all eternity.  For by His sacrifice we have been purified from all sin and death—freed from the bonds of rebellion and the tyranny of Satan.  Freed to honour, love, serve and obey not just parents, but all God-given authority in all things that do not contradict His own precious Word.
The holy one of God has come and touched you with His healing power—thereby making you holy and righteous by His broken body and shed blood on the cross.  Jesus honoured all for you—so that in Him you might receive honour.  For by faith you are all God’s children—heirs with Christ to the pleasures eternal of the heavenly realm—saved by the blood of the Son—it was a matter of family honour, which God has performed to save you and all people.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Lent Midweek 1                                                                                                                                                February 24, 2021
The Third Commandment
 
Sunday vs. Holiday
 
Exodus 20:1-2, 7 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of  slavery…8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
 
LSC  Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.
 
Dear friends in Christ, this evening we come to the third and final commandment of the first table of the Law—that which deals with our relationship with God.  This commandment is greatly abused among and by Christians.  It instructs us not merely in the external—that is, in coming to church—but also in the heart—how we treat God’s Word.
Indeed, when we hear the word “holiday” what do we think?  We think of time off from work—a time to finally do what we want to do—maybe rest—maybe play.  The Sabbath was a day of rest—pointing ahead to the Messiah who is our rest—Jesus Christ.  God ordained that one day a week His people should rest from labour.  But it is not the cessation of work that honours this commandment.  It is the aspect of holiness.  For the Sabbath was a true “holy day” from which we get the word, holiday.  It was a day not only to rest, but more importantly, to hear and learn God’s Word.  For the act of rest does not make one holy, but rather the Word of God that breathes faith and life, makes God’s people holy saints before Him.
So, when meditating upon this commandment it is good to ask ourselves whether or not we have despised the Word of God by neglecting it altogether (failing to attend worship—even before the pandemic, study the Scriptures, or devote our lives to reading, learning, and inwardly digesting it); or, by paying as little attention to the Word when it is read or preached.  So, this commandment is broken not only by those who forego coming to the Lord’s house to hear His Word and receive His sacraments due to sporting events like hockey; or sleeping in at home; or out on the lake at the cabin; or enjoying God’s creation in the woods.  It is also broken by those who regularly come to the Divine Service, but who pay no attention to God’s Word.  They go away at the end of the year, knowing as little about God’s Word as at the beginning.  We are to listen seriously and carefully to what God has to tell us.  For in His Word is doctrine and life.
But that’s the problem, isn’t it?  We have so much other “stuff” going on in our busy lives and hectic schedules and work commitments that we fail to take the time to truly rest.  We fail to look to Jesus and His Word as our true rest.  We work so hard that we want to play just as hard at our hobbies and clubs, but these things pull us away from that which is best for us—the Word.  For God’s Word is the sanctuary above all sanctuaries.  It is there that He comes to you to proclaim His love and forgiveness for you—to wash and cleanse you in the redeeming blood of Jesus outpoured on the cross for you.
But we’d rather be playing hockey, watching tv, sleeping in bed, or better yet, relaxing wherever the sun is shining and the sand is warm and the water is cool and refreshing.  Satan loves to lead us away from God’s divine service to us.  He loves to distract us and tempt us to prevent us from making worship a regular habit by using our favourite things and interests against us—making them into false gods so that we worship our recreational activities more than the true God.  It is so easy to miss a Sunday service...and then another...and then another...and another.  Pretty soon, we find we don’t even want to come to church anymore, or even hear God’s Word.  That is the road to hell and damnation.
Beloved in Christ, God demands that we humbly hear His Word and learn it—that we look upon preaching as a sacred thing—meaning we should gladly hear it, learn it, and meditate on it.  So much so, in fact, that we even use our God-given time, talents, and treasures to support and promote the Word of God—and to spread it abroad in all that we say and do.  And I know, dear friends, I know with absolute certainty, that if you are anything like me—and I know you are—that you do not do this.  There are times when we’d much rather be doing something else, anything else, than sitting on a hard wooden pew (or even our comfortable couch from home) and listening to pastor drone on and on about something that seems rather irrelevant and unimportant.
Thanks be to God that our eternal rest is not dependent upon our keeping of this commandment.  For we would all be damned to hell, and justly so.  Yet God, in Christ has had mercy on us.   Our rest is not found in the cessation of our labour, but in Christ’s.  For He dedicated His life to serving God and humanity perfectly.  He combated the devil’s temptations and drove him away.  He worshiped God rightly morning, noon, and night.  He laboured valiantly on the cross to suffer and pay for our sin.  And after He died—after His work of atonement was completed—He rested in the tomb for three days.  All for our disobedience—our blasphemy against God and His Word. 
This is why Jesus is your Sabbath rest.  This is why we now tend to worship on Sundays (though we as Christians are not bound to any specific day of worship) because Christ Jesus rose from the dead in victory and triumph over all our great enemies on that day.  His rest in the tomb has become our rest—for by faith His death is our death—and His new life is also ours. 
We do not make the Sabbath holy by our labour or lack thereof on the Sabbath—it has been made holy—sanctified—by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross and in His holy rest in the tomb.  In Baptism all that is His became yours.  Each time you receive the Sacrament of the Supper, His body and blood that lived, rested, and rose again revive you—refreshing you like nothing else in the sure and certain forgiveness of all of your sins.  Jesus’ blood makes you righteous and holy in the sight of God and nothing else.
Through the Word the Lord God instils faith into your hearts, producing a pure heart and thoughts.  For the Word of God is not lazy or dead, but is creative, living, and active—always bearing fruit as Isaiah says in chapter 55.  The Word is effective and powerful, accomplishing what God promises and purposes. 
It is by the work of God alone that this day is made holy as you are made holy by His Word and Sacraments.  For the Word speaks and gives you Jesus Christ who lived, died, and rose again for you.  The Word of the Gospel proclaims that you are completely forgiven and restored to a right relationship with the heavenly Father.  The Word tells you, in no uncertain terms, that you are holy because Jesus has made you holy by His suffering, death, and resurrection.  It is His Word that bespeaks you righteous and brings you to the fullness of eternal life and salvation. 
And you can’t hear about this glorious good news while sitting in your boat fishing with your pals.  You can’t hear of Christ’s forgiveness while cheering for your children/grandchildren at the arena.  You can’t hear the Word of Christ proclaim you absolved from all your sin, while still snoozing in bed.  It is this Word—this forgiveness—that grants you true rest and life.  For the weight and burden of your guilt and sin has been removed from you and borne by Christ on the cross so that you may be saved. 
This is why our loving God leads us to church—leads us to worship—so that here in this place He may serve and feed us with that which we need most—His Word of Life, which makes every Sunday—or any other day we Christians gather in worship—a true “holiday.”  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

​Quinquagesima                                                                                                                                    February 14, 2021
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
 
Love Is…
 
v.4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
 
          Well, dear friends in Christ, there certainly is a great deal of talk about the “L” word this weekend, isn’t there?  Today is a special day in which we take the time to let those wonderful people in our lives know just how much we truly love them.  However, there is much confusion in our world today about just exactly what love is.  If you listen to any music lyrics on the radio—and there are a lot out there that talk about love—love is anything from "war" to "perfect" to "real" to "loud" to "reason" to "crazy" and anything and everything in between.  However, perhaps the song that best captures our societal view on love is the 80s rock band INXS with their song, “Love is (What I Say).” 
          That pretty much sums it up.  We human beings tend to want to think about love in whatever way we choose—making it mean for us whatever we want it to mean—which, rather than give love more meaning—ends up emptying it of all meaning.  Indeed, far too many today confuse love and lust.  No other day is this more true than St. Valentine's Day.  A day in which many people, both young and old indulge their lust with inappropriate sexual activity (ranging from adultery to fornication and everything and everything in between) all in the name of love.
          Sadly, love has come to mean for far too many people that indefinable ooey gooey feeling that they get inside whenever they are with, or are thinking about, that special someone.  But what happens when it is gone?  What happens when that feeling grows weak or even non-existent?  Is it time to cut the person loose—regardless of the consequences to family, friends, neighbours, relatives, and church—and simply start over new with someone else?  Unfortunately, as you well know—that is exactly what happens in far too many cases.  And I am sure that St. Valentine (who literally gave up his life to the cruel Roman Emperor Claudius II for his stance on the sanctity of Christian love and marriage) would be rolling over in his grave if he knew the state of things presently—not just in the world—but in the church of Christ herself.
          For the Bible has a great deal to tell us about love.  I found it very ironic that the epistle reading for this day, which just happens to land on St. Valentine’s Day this year, is that oft quoted Scripture passage that is read at so many weddings.  Indeed, the Holy Spirit, speaking through the Apostle Paul, tells us in no uncertain terms exactly what love is.  Love is…patient, kind, it does not envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, nor does it insist on its own way, neither is it irritable or resentful, and it certainly does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rather rejoices with the truth.  Love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things—and it never ends.
          So, dear friends in Christ, how are you doing with all of that?  How patient are you with those whom you supposedly love?  When was the last time you were envious of a loved one in your life—when was the last time you were rude or grouchy?  Think about it and see if you can remember the last time that you didn’t insist on your own way (in your heart if not out loud), and also secretly (or out loud) rejoice at the other’s wrongdoing?  How well are you at bearing all things from those whom you love?  How well are you at enduring all things? 
Often, we’re pretty good at doing this with ourselves.  After all, we tend to love ourselves best.  But we’re not so good at these things when it comes to others—we may be OK at it with our closest loved ones—though not necessarily—and certainly not all the time.  But to really put this into perspective—how are you at bearing the annoying habits of your neighbours?  To take it even a step further—what about perfect strangers—you know the ones who cut you off on the road?  And to take it to its furthest point—how are you at bearing all the hurtful activities of your enemies—their hurtful action, comments, and rumours, etc.?  Not so good, huh?  Me either.
Which is why we as Christians need to be so clear whenever we talk about love.  Often, we may unintentionally lead people astray by saying things like, “Love is the answer.”  We equate love with the Gospel at times (the forgiveness of sins in Christ), but when we look at passages like 1 Corinthians 13 in which love is talked about a great deal we see that love, theologically speaking, is Law.  This means that love is better talked about in terms of the Ten Commandments.  Indeed, the Ten Commandments (which will be our focus for the season of Lent) are the greatest and simplest explication of what Christian love is supposed to look like—they are love in action:  love for God—and love for neighbour. 
And now, look at our text, Paul is telling us how to love one another (and, by the way, he wasn’t talking to married couples, but simply to all Christians in general and how we’re supposed to treat each other in the church).  But where does this text leave us if all we are talking about is love—our love?  It leaves us exposed before God, loved one, neighbour, strangers, and enemies alike as failing miserably at this.
For our love is most definitely NOT this—our love is NOT what it’s supposed to be--agape--an all-consuming sacrificial love.  But as we are brought to our knees in despair—we see that if our love is so imperfect—then we must look to the love of another.  We must find the love of one who is perfect—of one whose love is perfect—and that takes us right to Jesus Christ and the sacrifice of His cross.  For God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 
Indeed, God’s love alone is patient—long suffering our sinful and unloving behaviour toward Him and one another.  God’s love alone is kind—bearing all things—for He sent His only-begotten Son to suffer and die—to bear in His flesh all the evil, all the hatred (for that is what lack of love truly is), all of our sin—and sacrifice Himself for it on the cross of Calvary, in order to purchase for us forgiveness of sins and life and love everlasting.  “For we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. (Evidenced for us in the cross of Christ)  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him.” (1 John 4:16). 
For you see, dear friends in Christ, love—perfect love--true selfless love—became incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ.  Look at His life of love in the Gospel records.  See how He had such compassion and mercy on the people.  See how He came to live that life of love that you and I cannot and will not, this side of heaven, fulfilling all of the Ten Commandments perfectly.  See how He came to die in your place—see how He came to take up your sin and nail it to the cross in His broken and beaten body—crying out in agony and torment—suffering the full and terrible wrath of God for your lack of love—why?  Because of His great love for you.  It is His great and perfect love for you that removes your guilt and sin—for by His bloody stripes have you been healed.
And that is what love is, dearly beloved.  Love is not just ooey gooey feelings.  Love is action.  Love is truth.  Love is patience and kindness and mercy.  Love is…Jesus hanging dead on the cross…for your sins and mine.  And though this love may seem crazy to the unbelieving world—yet it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.  And this love empowers us and moves us to be more loving to those around us—to serve and to care for others regardless of how unkindly they may treat us—to put up with all annoyances—to put away our anger and irritability—to selflessly bear all things in our body as Christ has done for us. 
For we don’t live lives of love to earn God’s love, but because we have already freely received it.  He has poured forth His love for us in our Baptism—bathing us with the blood of the beloved Son.  And it is His love that renews and strengthens us each day of our lives.  His great love for you has broken the chains of sin and death that entangled you—His love has thrown down Satan from on high.  His love has set you free—to live—and to love—as He has first loved you.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.  

​Sexagesima                                                                                                                                            February 7, 2021
Luke 8:4-15
 
Spreading the Seed of Hope
 
v.11 & 15   “Now the parable is this:  The seed is the Word of God...As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”
 
          Beloved in Christ, this parable has often led me to wonder, “why is the sower so careless with his seed?”  I mean, what farmer would be so absolutely foolish to scatter his seed among the pathways, the rocks, and the weeds?  You certainly don’t see any farmers around today doing that sort of thing—with their seed spreader turned on and churning out their precious seed as they travel along the road between their fields.  You don’t see them going to the gravel pit and scattering their seed over there because it would be so foolish and wasteful.
Nor do we carelessly spread our seed around in the grass or underneath bushes or on the sidewalk and driveway when we are planting our own gardens, do we?  When Jolene and I plant our flower gardens each year, I can tell you that we are very careful about where and how we plant our seedlings.  And I know that many of you share the same passion for gardening—we carefully plant, water, and nurture it so that we may watch it grow from tiny seeds to beautiful plants that lead us to marvel at God’s beautiful creation.
For, we have read the books, watched the television programs, learned from our parents and grandparents, friends and neighbours, about just exactly how to plant the seed for our gardens and care for them so they will grow.  Unfortunately, we are not nearly so sure and certain of ourselves when it comes to the seed of the Word of God.  Often we are unsure how to plant that Word of God home in the soil of our own hearts, let alone spreading that seed in the hearts of others. 
What does Jesus tell us?  For our hearts to be good soil, we are to “hold the Word fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”  Unfortunately, our hearts are not honest and good, nor do they often bear good fruit with patience.  For as Jesus says in Matthew 15:19, “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.  These are what defile a person.”  So, if our hearts are by nature sinful and unclean as we regularly confess, how can they be made good to properly receive the Word of God?  Not by anything that WE do.
No, indeed, the soil of our hearts is anything but good, so it must be cultivated by the Holy Spirit, harrowing deeply into our hearts with the Law so as to crush the rocks of rebellion and sin that afflict us, along with the thorny entanglements of this sinful world (the pleasures and cares of this life) which seek to choke and kill us by tearing us away from Christ.  The Law of God comes to us and lays us low.  It humbles us before our Almighty Creator and leads us to be ready to receive the life-giving nutrients of the Gospel in the Living Word—Jesus Christ our Saviour.
The Gospel turns our hearts from that of stone to hearts of flesh and it kills the weeds of sin that seek to entrap and entangle us at every turn.  The Gospel acts as a ward to fend off the attacks of the evil one who would try to come and snatch away the faith that God has sown so deeply into our hearts, through His precious Word. 
For not only has God sown the seed in the Word, but He continues to nourish and care for it through His holy church in the means of grace.  He richly and daily waters our faith in Holy Baptism that we may daily repent of our sin and our hearts might constantly be made ready to receive the life-giving Word again and again.  Baptism acts as a cleansing flood—washing away the rocks of rebellion and drowning the weeds of sin from the Old Adam—over and over again.  Each time we make the sign of the cross, each time we hear forgiveness proclaimed in the triune name of our God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are led to repentance and faith—strengthened in His rich grace and mercy whereby we have received the full forgiveness of all our sin. 
Our God nourishes us with the true and holy body and blood of Jesus that is given into our mouths to eat and to drink with the bread and wine of the Holy Supper.  This holy food is so strengthening and nourishing that it causes the faith in our hearts to grow and grow—becoming green and alive—not with envy, but with faith and eternal life—secure in the complete forgiveness of all our sins that have been fully paid by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.  He truly is the food of life.
This is so because Christ Jesus is the Seed, the promised one from whom all blessings flow.  He is the Seed that God promised Adam and Eve would come in Genesis 3:15 to “bruise/crush the head” of the serpent.  But, in order to destroy Satan’s hold over us through sin and death, Jesus Himself had to first suffer and die.  In John 12:24, Jesus said, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”  And as Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 15:20, since “Christ has been raised from the dead, [He is] the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
Beloved in Christ, what great Good News is this!  For our Lord Jesus Christ is the Seed of hope in the face of death and all the cares and trials of this life.  He Himself has gone first through the agony and suffering of death for our sin, in our place, so that by His victory over sin, death, and hell in His glorious resurrection, we, too, may have new and everlasting life.  And we can trust this promise because His resurrection has confirmed it—He is the firstfruits, and we who have faith will certainly follow Him into His everlasting kingdom of righteousness.
And this Seed, the living Word, Jesus Christ, would have us scatter and sow His Gospel Word broadly and sweepingly into all the farthest corners of the earth.  So that all may hear of His coming and rejoice in the free salvation and forgiveness for all sin that He brings to those who confess His name and believe in His work on the cross for them.  Beloved, it is not our responsibility to make the seed grow into fruits of faith, but rather simply to scatter the Word far and wide. 
For it is God and God alone who causes all things to grow, from the wheat in the fields, to grapes on the vines, to the faith in our hearts.  It is His work from start to finish.  He is the one who will accomplish the purpose for that which He sent it as He says in Isaiah 55.  Also, as St. Peter writes in his first epistle 1:23, “you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and abiding Word of God.” 
Jesus is the one who causes us to grow in our faith through the means that He Himself has established in His holy church:  Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion.  Through these blessed acts Christ comes to us and gives us everything that He won on the cross—forgiveness of all our sins, everlasting life, and salvation.  These strengthen and nourish the faith that has been planted into our hearts so that come what may this side of heaven: be it sickness or injury, job loss or economic catastrophe, marital and relationship problems, death to friends and family alike, or anything else, we may rest secure in His loving embrace.  Knowing, without a doubt, that He is by our side—and that He has washed us in the blood of His Son, giving to us the robe of Christ’s own righteousness and granting us a place in His heavenly family. 
Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Father would not have us hold onto this seed for ourselves, but would rather that we spread it liberally everywhere that we go—into any circumstance that we find ourselves—so that His Word may be heard by all people.  Only His Word has the power to break through hardened hearts of sin and rebellion as He has done with ours.  Let us go forth joyfully into the world with this ultimate message of peace and hope that is found nowhere else, but in Christ Jesus, remembering that wherever and whenever repentance and forgiveness are proclaimed in Jesus’ name; wherever and whenever the Sacraments of Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion are administered according to the Word of Christ—there He is—and there will be growth a hundredfold, a thousandfold, and beyond—unto life eternal.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.