St. Paul Lutheran Church International Falls
  • Home
  • Service
  • Sermons
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Contact

Join Pastor Quast

As he shares insight from the Bible

Justified by Wisdom

10/29/2023

0 Comments

 
​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.
 
 
 
0 Comments

Coming to the Banquet of the Lord

10/22/2023

0 Comments

 
​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.
0 Comments

Seeing with Your Eyes Wide Shut

10/13/2023

0 Comments

 
​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.
0 Comments

Giving Thanks…to Whom?  Why?

10/8/2023

0 Comments

 
​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. 
0 Comments

Death and Crying

9/24/2023

0 Comments

 
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.
0 Comments

Anxious! Who…Me?

9/17/2023

0 Comments

 
​Trinity 15 September 17, 2023 Matthew 6:24-34 Anxious! Who…Me? v.25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Dear friends in Christ, today's Gospel reading focuses on a very important theme that each of us deals with on a daily basis--anxiety…worry. Now, I’m not talking about clinical anxiety, which is often caused by an imbalance of chemicals in our brain that needs to be adjusted with due medical attention and care. Nor the kind of debilitating anxiety and depression that requires proper psychological care. But rather, that kind of worry and anxiety that is commonplace to us all. That which niggles in the back of our minds, perhaps causing sleepless nights or indigestion. Our text occurs as Jesus' great Sermon on the Mount is winding down. He talked about prayer and how we are to use God's good gifts wisely in service to Him and His kingdom. What is the major source of worry for most people? Well, as in Jesus' day, so today--money. But herein Jesus warns us that we cannot have two masters--we cannot serve both God and money. Only one master may rule our heart and it must be the Lord. Yet, due to the weakness of our sinful flesh, we pursue money and wealth and power so as to secure for ourselves the necessities of 2 life and a comfortable future. We worry about these things--constantly anxious--and for this, Jesus calls us to repent. For by anxiously worrying about our future and life, we betray that our hearts are not set on God--that we are not trusting in Him to provide for us in all situations--that we seek to be in control and secure life for ourselves. This is a fruitless task, Jesus says, and then directs our attention to common things: birds and flowers. Lowly creations of God, indeed. Birds are a dime a dozen, as it were, and flowers, well they grow in wild abundance. Now birds don't plan for the future. They don't sow crops and reap a harvest or store their food in barns, but God feeds them. Furthermore, look at the wondrous beauty of the Lilies. They clothe the grass in gorgeous raiment--outshining even King Solomon in all of his splendour and majesty. Yet, the grass is here today and gone tomorrow. Now, ask yourselves, are you not of more value than a bird or flower? Of course you are! Then why do you worry? You cannot add a single hour to your span of life through your worry, so what is the point? Our anxiety over our everyday lives is an indication of our lack of faith and trust in our heavenly Father to provide for us in all things. Just note how so many people are worried about the end of the world (be it through the collapse of the environment or the “wrong” political entity taking 3 power). Yet, I have one suggestion for those so intent on trying to determine when/how the end of the world will occur. Don't. Read your Bible. Jesus says no one knows the Day nor the Hour of the End. No one. That's it. Leave it. Really, if we want something to worry about, there is no shortage of real problems: continuing war in Ukraine with Russia; natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires; health of family and friends; and even the faith of our children and grandchildren. We desire peace, security, food, drink, clothing, and shelter--the basic necessities of life and so much more. Yet our Lord says, "the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Now these things are important. Indeed, we pray for them in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Without food, drink, and clothing we die--and rather quickly. This is why it is so important for us to support aid organizations to help people who are in need of these items, like hurricane and wild fire victims. Nor is Jesus saying, "Don't get a job…or don't go grocery shopping or clothes shopping." No. What Jesus is telling us here is to be aware of these cares/concerns for life turning into unwholesome anxiety when we imagine that we can secure our future by our worry. That is just silly and dumb. "Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" 4 You need not worry because God your Father knows your needs better than you do! He promises to care and provide for you. To be sure, not all of your desires will come true. For God will answer your prayers in accordance with His wisdom and grace. True peace, true contentment, not being anxious for tomorrow, comes by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. For God has come to you in Christ Jesus. He is the necessity of your life. By His blood shed on the cross in your place for your sins, God has secured for you a life that is everlasting. Jesus is your past, present, and future. In Him you are secure. For His life was given up into death to give you life. Jesus' cross frees you from anxiety and the burdens and cares of this life. As St. Paul writes, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" God, in Christ, is for you. He promises to be with you and to provide for you. Indeed, the Lord God feeds you with the holy and precious body and blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. This gift comes to you in simple bread and wine that you receive with joy and thanksgiving. This holy meal provides a life for you that is eternal, with a joy that will know no end. You are fed the richness of God's mercies in Christ each time you humbly come before this altar and every time you hear His blessed Word of Absolution proclaimed into your 5 ears. For you know that here and now, God's kingdom has come to you. A kingdom of peace, love, and joy. A kingdom of fulfillment in the presence of God Almighty. Lest you be concerned about what you wear, God has clothed you in the robe of the righteousness of His own beloved Son. At your Baptism, the Lord God washed you clean of your sin and then covered you in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. A righteousness earned by His sacrifice on the cross. All the saints wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. This robe covers your iniquity, your guilt, and your shame and takes it all away, leaving you pure and spotless like the Lamb who died for you. So, beloved, having been fed and clothed by the Lord, in His kingdom of grace, you need not be anxious about anything. You are being cared for by the Lord God Almighty who has brought you into His family as His dear children. Trusting in the words and promises of Jesus, you may now rejoice in all of God's gifts to you, knowing that you are forgiven, redeemed, and that you have a life that will never end--due to a righteousness that is not your own. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen
0 Comments

Oh…Mercy Me!

9/10/2023

0 Comments

 
​Trinity 14                                                                                                                                           September 10, 2023
Luke 17:11-19
 
Oh…Mercy Me!
 
v.13   [They] lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."
 
          Dear friends in Christ, we have before us this morning a beautiful account of the merciful heart of our God in action.  Our God who looks upon us—sinners all—unclean, filthy, dirty souls—people who by their sinful nature relish in the works of the flesh as St. Paul states in our epistle (Gal. 5): "sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these"—people who deserve nothing but His wrath—and instead, our Lord opens His mouth and utters words of mercy, healing, forgiveness, and life. 
          Indeed, the ten leprous men in our Gospel text serve as a golden example of the merciful heart of Jesus at work.  Their malady served to separate them from friends and family—even from the worship life of the church.  They were forced to live apart from others (so as not to infect them), and so scratched out a meager existence living off the charity of those around them.  Their life is bleak—dark—and full of despair—as they await their inevitable death, while slowly their very flesh rots off their bodies. 
          Beloved, on account of our sin, we are in an even more perilous situation than these ten men.  Left to our own devices our sinful flesh would rule over us and lead us to practice open rebellion against God and His good Word, as Paul mentioned above.  This sin has separated us from our loving God and further separates us from one another as we sin against each other daily in thought, word, and deed.  The source of our sin is the very depths of our heart—the corruption of our being—having been passed down from our first parents, Adam and Eve, all the way to us.  We are the walking dead, much like the lepers in our text.  Apart from Christ, all people will end up in misery and death.
          Yet, where Christ walks, hope remains!  These ten desperate men, having somehow managed to hear of Jesus, learn that He is traveling nearby and go to meet Him.  They cannot get too close, and so they cry out from a distance, with voices raw and scratchy, not much more than a loud whisper, due to the nature of their affliction, and they utter a most pitiable cry, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  And our Lord and Saviour looks upon them not with disgust—nor anger or disdain—but with love and mercy.  "When He saw them He said to them, 'Go and show yourselves to the priests.'  And as they went they were cleansed."
          The Living Word of God made flesh speaks, and men are healed.  Not immediately, this time.  Not with a brilliant flash of light and a puff of smoke.  But, "as they went they were cleansed."  Following Jesus' word to go and show themselves to the priest, they walk away.  At first nothing happens, and they wonder if they have been duped by some trickster, false healer.  But, soon, as they go, their skin changes from its former rottenness, to a restored and cleansed state.  This happens not just to one or two, but to all ten!  Their joy and excitement must have been profound.  Perhaps, they picked up the pace and began, not to walk, but run, to the priests to receive the pronouncement that they have been cured and can return back to their families. 
          However, at this point, one of the ten begins to slow—even as his companions continue on, running, joking, and laughing—this one slows and stops.  He turns around and begins to run in the opposite direction!  He runs back to Jesus!  He runs back to Jesus and with his newly healed voice he is singing praises to God for this great miracle.  He falls "on his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks."  And what makes this even more extraordinary, is that this man was no Jew–no faithful child of Abraham.  Rather, he was a Samaritan—a traditional enemy of the Jews.  A man whose community struggled with false worship and false gods and so was ridiculed by the Jewish community.  Yet it is this man, and not the other nine, who turns back to give thanks to Jesus.  A foreigner worships Jesus and receives an even greater miracle from the lips of our Lord than the healing of his flesh—"Rise and go your way; your faith has saved you." 
          I know some English translations read "your faith has made you well."  But the Greek word here more accurately means "to save."  His faith and trust in Jesus has done much more than just cleanse him of his leprosy, but has saved him from sin, death, and hell.  This saving work of Jesus is for all people, too.  Not just those inside our small fellowship of faith, but for everyone outside these walls, the whole world over.  For the Christ came to save all people—you and me included—but not only you and me.  Jesus' blood cleanses all people from sin—just as all ten were cleansed—so the blood of Jesus has been poured out for all people—no matter who they are, what they look like, or what they believe.  However, only those who have faith in Jesus are truly saved.  Only those who worship and trust in the one true God—as did the Samaritan—as do you and I and other Christians—are truly saved.  For it is by faith that you are saved—and faith in Christ alone.
          This Jesus speaks to you in mercy every time we gather for worship.  He has spoken His absolution to you—rooted and grounded in your Baptism into His triune name—He has forgiven you all your sin.  For this same Jesus went to the cross to pay for your sin and death with His own suffering and death.  Our text this morning takes place as Jesus is on His final journey to Jerusalem where He will suffer and die for the sins of the whole world.  Note, once again, Christ came to suffer and die for all people!  Yet, it is only those who cling to Him in faith who will be saved. 
          You have been granted such faith through your Baptism, by His grace and mercy.  The Holy Spirit continues to strengthen your faith each time you open His Word and trust in His promises.  Your faith is nourished and sustained each week as you come before the altar and have placed into your mouths simple bread and wine that is Christ's own body and blood—given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of all your sin.  Though you still struggle against the works of the flesh at work in you, yet you now enjoy the fruit of the Spirit who has been given to you.    You receive and bear fruit in keeping with your faith (Gal. 5):  "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…[for] those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." 
          Indeed, Jesus' crucifixion is your crucifixion.  You live now by faith in the Son of God who shed His blood for you and cleansed you of all sin.  You cannot help now but to bear fruit in keeping with repentance—for the Spirit of Jesus lives in you and you in Him.  What joy!  What peace!  What steadfast love and faithfulness!  Is it any wonder that we, the church, continue to sing that same cry uttered by those ten leprous men 2000 years ago?  Kyrie Eleison!  Lord, have mercy!  Christ, have mercy!  Lord, have mercy!  And He does—for Jesus' sake.  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.
0 Comments

God’s Will SHALL Be Done

8/27/2023

0 Comments

 
​Trinity 12                                                                                                                                                August 27, 2023 
Isaiah 29:17-24
 
God’s Will SHALL Be Done
 
V.20  For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off…
 
          Dear friends in Christ, this text from Isaiah serves to give hope to Christians in difficult times–facing difficult circumstances–particularly, times of distress in this world that make it challenging to be a Christian and live the Christian life.  For herein Isaiah prophesies that there will be a Day when the pain, the trials, the sufferings, the ridicule, and the mockery endured by Christians will be reversed–done away with–forever!  That God’s will  SHALL be done–even when it seems as though there is currently little hope of that ever happening.
          Indeed, the faithful few of God’s people living in Judea were surrounded by unbelievers–among their own fellow Jews!  People who mocked them for holding fast to God’s Word–for proclaiming it as truth–for believing that God was real and true to His Word.  They also faced the harassment of unbelievers from other nations–Samaria to the north, not to mention Syria and Assyria and Egypt.  God reacted strongly against this kind of faithlessness, as we see in v.16 just before our text, “You turn things upside down!  Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say to its maker, ‘He did not make me’; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding’?”
          Indeed, we often feel like we live in an upside down world, don’t we?  People run heedlessly from the Word and counsel of God–even supposed Christians!--claiming that God and His Word has no real place in our modern society in which we know so much better than the Lord God.  In our sinfulness and rebellion against Him, we are often wont to pretend that we are the makers of our own destiny–that He did not make us–and so has no control over us or any say in how we live our lives.  When we examine His Word, we are at times quick to think, “God has no understanding on this matter”–I know better.  I see more clearly.  I understand what is right and true and good better than the Lord.
          And when we DO look to God and His Word–when we DO proclaim it faithfully–what tends to happen, beloved?  We often get trampled upon–mocked–persecuted–scoffed at–ignored, even though we are in the right. 
          Yet the Lord says through Isaiah that the Day is coming when all of that will change.  The Day of God’s visitation in Jesus Christ changes everything.  For He has come to undo the wisdom of the wise, break the strength of the strong–humble all those who reject Him and His Word.  For earthly wisdom and strength avail a person nothing before God, as St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:25, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
          But for all those who receive Jesus and His Word by faith–believe in Him by God’s grace–shall be exalted!  A great reversal shall come to pass.  The seemingly impossible will occur–by God’s great power and might.  As Isaiah foretold, “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.  The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.”
          Just think about that, beloved!  The deaf shall hear?  The blind shall see?  The meek shall receive joy?  And the poor shall exult in God?  Why? How?  Because of Jesus.  Because of Jesus and His triumphant Word and work.  For in Christ all things change.  He brings light and life to all who believe on His name.  For His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. 
          We see this very inbreaking of God made flesh in Jesus’ public ministry.  He who made the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, and the mute to speak and sing!  Jesus, the living Word of God, came with power and great might to undo the works of sin and the devil–to forever break the power of death and its hold over humanity.  Jesus came to take all of our sin–all of our shame–all of our humiliation and degradation–and crucify it on Calvary’s cross in His own humble flesh.  Suffering and dying for it all in our place.
          This great love of God made manifest for us in Christ Jesus–that which is proclaimed in His Holy Word–is the power of God to open our ears to the joy of His Gospel salvation–to open our eyes to the truth and light of His Word–to bring our hearts steadfastness and contentment in all that He has done for us.
          Yet, you know beloved, you know that there are many who stubbornly reject Jesus and His Word.  There are those who believe that they are so smart and wise and strong that they can do what they want–believe what they want–and bully others to fall in line with their twisted and evil thinking.  They scoff at Christians who believe in a simple six day creation account.  They grow indignant with us when we object to medical experimentation, procedures, and therapies that would leave children sterilized and scarred for life!  Indeed, they use all the means at their disposal, be it through cancel culture in social media, or with new laws to restrict free speech and parental rights, to force people into compliance with this devastating and twisted way of viewing the world.  All the while calling Christians backwards and ignorant as we strive to hold on to common sense and obvious natural law.
          Christians are often made to feel ashamed for our “outdated” and “old fashioned” notions and beliefs regarding all sorts of important issues: be it marriage, life, death, the human body, history, or anything else.  But, beloved, this shall all come to an end when Christ returns.  “For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.”
          When Christ returns in glory to judge the living and the dead, all these trials we currently endure shall come to an end.  A rather abrupt and sudden end.  Those ruthless persecutors of God’s people and deniers of His Word shall come to nothing.  Those who would scoff shall cease–indeed the evil will be cut off completely as they are cast into hell.  Those who have slandered Christians and lied to make us appear to be offenders of the law of the land–those who have tried to entrap Christian bakers, florists, photographers, etc. and force them to break God’s Law and violate their conscience–those who try to ensnare those seeking to defend the truth–and who would deny simple truth according to natural law and plain reason–all those will come to nothing.  They will be undone and judged–found wanting in God’s sight–having rejected Jesus as Lord and Saviour, along with His Word of truth.
          So, beloved, keep fighting the good fight.  Do not give up hope nor give in to despair.  Despite the seeming triumph of evil in our world and society–despite the apparent weakness of the church and her members–yet Christ remains Lord of all.  He has already won!  His victory came at the cross whereby He undid the powers of death and hell–all for you and for me.  You have been united with Him in Baptism–and you are strengthened in His Holy Supper–having your sins completely forgiven and looking to Jesus for all good and peace.
          You need no longer be ashamed or grow pale with fear.  For you are the work of God’s hands–you are His children who sanctify His name–giving Him praise and honour and glory for all that He has done in Christ Jesus.  Continue to pray for the misguided and erring of this world–that the truth of God and His Word would reach into every heart in every place.  That they may repent of their sin and look in faith to Jesus Christ.  May those who have gone astray in spirit come to understanding–and those who murmur accept instruction.
          You know of whom I speak.  Your own dear loved ones who perhaps were raised in the faith and have since strayed.  It is heartbreaking and demoralizing to know they have forsaken Christ and His Word.  Yet all is not lost.  Remember that the Lord Jesus loves them more than you do.  Remember that His Word is powerful.  Though they have strayed, they may yet repent and return through the hearing of His Word.  They may accept instruction from the Lord.  For, as Paul writes in Romans 10:17, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” 
          So, dear friends, do not give up.  Earnestly pray for your loved ones.  Uphold them before the Lord, trusting in His mercy.  Share with them the Word of God that alone has the power to change hearts and minds.  Bring them before this holy altar and leave them at the feet of Jesus–and trust Him to work through His Word as He has promised. 
          Remember that God’s will was done on the cross.  It seemed crazy at first.  It seemed God’s plan of salvation had failed when Jesus breathed His last.  But through His death and resurrection, God worked salvation for all people.  And the Light of His Word goes out to all so that some may hear and believe.  “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.
          
0 Comments

You're Dead!

8/20/2023

0 Comments

 
​Trinity 11                                                                                                                                            August 20, 2023
Ephesians 2:1-10
 
You're Dead!
 
v.1-4 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, and the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
 
          Dear friends in Christ, our epistle serves as the great reformation text Lutherans love and cherish so much.  For it emphasizes not one, but THREE, of the great solas of the Reformation: grace alone, faith alone, and Christ alone.  Herein St. Paul clearly writes that human beings are not saved by our works, but by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  This is the bedrock of the Christian faith—this is what we are all about!  "For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."  What sweet words of the Gospel for us to cling to!  For here we have it from the Lord Himself in His Word that our salvation—our redemption—our forgiveness—our life—is dependent not upon us and our good works, but rather solely granted to us as a gift through faith in Christ Jesus alone.  What comfort for terror stricken consciences!  What consolation for burdened souls.  What peace and joy we sinners find in these words when wracked with guilt and shame over our sin. 
          And yet, these sweet and wonderful words of Gospel proclamation make no sense without the verses that come before them.  "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked…"  You heard right.  Dead.  Not sick.  Not weak.  You were not in a situation from which you could help yourself by just putting in a little more work—a little more effort—a little more love.  No.  You. Were.  Dead.  End of story.  Your sin equals death.
          Now if the good news of the free forgiveness of sins by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ is hard to believe—so also is our fallen state—this teaching on our sinful natures.  Even though we have hordes of evidence regarding mankind's sinful condition—hard evidence of the doctrine of sin is easily viewed each day on the news—and in our own lives too—as human beings exhibit hatred and anger and impatience and greed and lust and murder and so on.  And yet, we tend to get all wishy washy with this teaching on sin when thinking of ourselves or those whom we love.  "I'm not that bad."  "I'm not as sinful as those wicked people on the news."  "I may not be perfect, but I just need a little cleaning up is all."
          When it comes to the sins of others we can clearly see it all (and relish in pointing it out) like the Pharisee did to the tax collector in our Gospel text.  "That person is a real jerk.  They deserve to be punished."  But we tend to shy away from such harsh truth when it comes to someone we know and love and care about.   We refer to them as simply making some "mistakes" or being "misguided," but certainly not "sinners."  No, no, no.  We reserve that term for the truly wicked and impenitent: the Adolf Hitlers of the world—the Charles Mansons—the cheating spouse—the rude coworker.
          If you ask an ordinary person on the street whether or not they will go to heaven when they die (if they even believe in heaven), what will they most likely say?  "YES!"  Why?  "Because I'm a good person."  We see this at funerals –indeed, we have been guilty of saying such things ourselves, at times.  When someone we know and love dies (especially if they are not Christian—or haven't really exhibited any sort of Christian faith for years) we still tend to think and talk like maybe, just maybe, they will still go to heaven, because after all, they were a good person—they had a good heart.
          And yet, beloved, this is NOT what the Scriptures clearly point out to us regarding our sinful nature.  In the O.T. reading in Genesis 4 regarding the first murder wherein Abel is killed by his brother Cain, and then again in the Gospel reading about the prayers of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in the temple, we see clear examples of human depravity and sinfulness—and our epistle reading drives this point clearly home—"You are DEAD in your trespasses and sins." 
          By nature, the sinful flesh inherited from Adam and Eve is dead—and so we are children of God's wrath (His great and just anger against our sin)—wherein we have lived in the passions of our flesh—disobeyed God's clear Word and commands—trespassing against His Law—so that we could live and behave how WE want to—when we want to.
          So then, if the Scriptures are clear that we are by nature dead in our trespasses and sins, what are we to do?  For make no mistake, dear friends, dead people can't help themselves.  You are not infected with a sin bacteria or virus that merely makes you sick and weak—and all you need is some Gospel medicine to help you be better and get better so that you can help yourself out once more.  Dead people can't help themselves.  A corpse is incapable of making a waffle, let alone doing something to raise itself from the dead.
          "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…"
          As Christians, we are led by God's Holy Spirit to repent of our sin and look not to ourselves or anyone else to save us, but rather only to Christ Jesus.  "For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." 
          Like the Tax Collector, we beat our hearts in the Confession of our sins each week and every day—acknowledging our total depravity—our state of spiritual death before God.  And we pray the same prayer, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."  Because of God's great love with which He loved you He DOES shower you with mercy in Christ—forgiving your sin by the blood of Jesus which cries out to God from the ground of the cross—speaking a better word than the blood of Abel.  As stanza 4 of the great Lenten hymn, Glory Be to Jesus (LSB 433), puts it, "Abel's blood for vengeance  Pleaded to the skies;  But the blood of Jesus  For our pardon cries."
          You, who are dead in trespasses and sins have been made alive by God—who through Christ's death and resurrection has set you free from sin and death and the power of the devil, and raised you to new and everlasting life so you may do good works according to His Word and Will, even as you walk your Christian life in the Good Work of Jesus for you on the cross.  You serve your neighbor in love—and worship God in joy and thanksgiving—not because it earns you heaven, but because heaven is already yours.  You have been seated in the heavenly places for, by virtue of your Baptism, you have been united with Christ in His death and resurrection, and now you live with Him. 
          And the Father continues to shower you with the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness in Christ Jesus in the Lord's Supper.  When you are given to clearly see your sin and guilt, you flee to the Lord's Table for strength and sustenance—for mercy and life.  Fed and nourished by the crucified and risen body and blood of Jesus we confess with the hymn writer for the hymn of the day (LSB 559), "Oh, how great is Your compassion, Faithful Father, God of grace,  That with all our fallen race  In our depth of degradation  You had mercy so that we  Might be saved eternally."  Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus.  Amen.
0 Comments

Senseless Birds

8/13/2023

0 Comments

 
Trinity 10 August 13, 2023
Jeremiah 8:4-12

Senseless Birds

v.6-7 I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no
man relents of his evil, saying,

‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his
own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. Even the stork in the
heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the
time of their coming, buy my people know not the rules of the Lord.
Dear friends in Christ, what is the world coming to? It is a crazy,
topsy-turvy world. We have redefined marriage to mean whatever we want it to
mean (which really ends up only emptying it of all meaning). Our world enjoys
and endorses people doing “their own thing” “their own way.” We see people
inside and outside the church taking God's gift of marriage for granted--engaging
in sexual behaviour to those whom they are not wed. We have seen our society
protest loudly at the poaching of endangered animals, all the while remaining silent
at the ongoing slaughter of unborn babies. We scribble and scrabble for attention
and prestige not caring who we step on while on our way to the top of the
corporate ladder. Families and friends disrespect and dishonour one another in
what is said and done, not to mention what is thought privately. However, in God’s
view, many of the things that we enjoy doing are actually harmful to us—and
others—yet we seem not to care.
Hence Jeremiah’s great proclamation to the people of Israel that serves as
our text for this morning. God is angry. God is really upset. The people of Israel
had abandoned His Word—His Laws—His just decrees. It’s not that they didn’t
know them—they knew them perfectly well—they just didn’t care. Sound
familiar? You and I both know God's clear Word of Law in the Scriptures. The 10
commandments are the ways in which God desires us to live. But we ignore,
redefine, and rewrite these laws to suit our own preferences and feelings.
Therefore, in his preaching, Jeremiah lays before them the great contrast that exists
between supposedly intelligent/rational human beings—and simple birds. “You
see,” Jeremiah says, “even the birds like the stork, the crane, the turtledove, the
swallows [we might inject, the Canada Geese, Robins, and the Pelicans] the birds
that migrate—they instinctively know and follow God’s plan for their own
well-being. They go south when the time is right—and come back north again
when food is plentiful. They follow what is right and good for them according to
God’s ordered plan of creation.
People, however—rational/thinking human beings, refuse to repent and turn
away from what is bad for us. Rather, we continue headlong into dangerous
territory—like a horse into battle—transgressing God’s good Law that is intended
for our own benefit—failing to see the danger that lies ahead. We are blinded by
our own sinfulness and pride—revelling in our selfishness and sin—seeking to
gratify every desire of our flesh—whilst turning away from God and His goodness
and peace that He has come to bring us.

"God says marriage is the only and best place for sexual union between man
and woman. But I don't care. I want this person--this relationship–this
experience--right now--at least, for now. How can I marry someone unless I've
lived with them beforehand? Who cares about marriage anyway? This way we are
free. Free to love whom we want and choose, whenever we want and choose.
Who cares that children don't know their parents and don't know from one minute
to the next where they're going to live or with whom. What matters most is what I
want--MY desires--MY needs. And if an unwanted pregnancy occurs...oh
well...we can just get an abortion--problem solved."
Jeremiah is, in essence, saying that “People don’t have the sense that God
gave geese.” We are, simply put, stupid. Stupid, ignorant, faithless, stubborn
people—intent on doing that which is bad for us (and for others)—in complete
disregard for what God has told us is good, right, and salutary.
Our society wildly endorses this kind of behaviour—sexual
immorality—greed—covetousness—etc.—as we are daily encouraged by the
world to give in to our every desire—our every whim—and satisfy the cravings of
our debase and sinful hearts—following our own passions that lead to hell and
damnation.
What is worse—even the church has now been caught up in this sick and
twisted mode of thinking. We have seen churches like the ELCA and others now
fully endorse the ordination of active homosexual and transgender clergy—in
complete violation of everything that God has stated in His Word and commanded
by His prophets/apostles. Sickeningly, there have even been churches that have
applauded the murder of unborn children, calling it "God's work."
These churches cry out that “all is well” and there is “peace with God” when
in reality there is no peace. For there can be no peace when people refuse to turn
from their sinful ways and repent. They offer a band-aid solution for an open
cancerous wound—infected and deadly—when false prophets announce that
because God is love all people can do what they wish—behave in any
way—believe whatever they want—and still go to heaven. “You want to sleep
around? Go ahead—God bless you!...You want to cheat on your taxes? Well, sure,
that’s clever of you! You want to sell unborn baby's organs for a profit--well,
they're only clumps of flesh, so go ahead...You want to skimp on your tithe to
church? Well, heck no! That’s where we draw the line.”
This is the kind of heresy that Jeremiah was preaching against and reacting
to in his own day. This heresy is still strong and prevalent among us here and now.
We—who have no sense—who are blinded by our own sinful flesh and pride—we
seek after our own vain pleasures and glories—at times even in the face of what we
know to be right and true—disregarding God and His Word.

Woe to us. Woe to those who stumble and fall—yet don’t have the sense to
get back up again—woe to those who strive to attain God’s eternal pleasures in
heaven apart from His grace and mercy in Christ. Woe to us all who would rather
continue on in our sin—running headlong towards the eternal fires of hell—than
repent and run to Jesus for forgiveness and mercy. And woe to any church that
would preach the same.
In the end—that is what God ultimately desires of us—that we turn away
from sin—and in so doing turn toward Him for our every good and His peace that
surpasses all human understanding. He leads and guides us by His Word in the
path that is right for us. And when we stray—when we fall—when we go our own
way—which we will—He seeks to bring us back to a right relationship with Him
through the shed blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ crucified on Calvary’s
cross. His Law smacks us upside the head and makes us finally realize what it is
that we have been doing. And His Gospel—that blessed good news of Jesus dead
for sinners—lifts us up and heals us from our sin and the death that plagues us.
Dear friends, it is Jesus Christ—and Him only—who can and has saved you
from the incredible stubbornness of your own sin. It is He who works through His
own Holy Spirit—who in turn works through the Word of God—to turn you from
your sin and bring you back to God in purity and faith. He plucks you from your
headlong dive into death and degradation—showing you not only the sinfulness of
your every thought, word, and deed, but showing you Christ crucified in your place
to grant you forgiveness, life, and joy.
The great peace the Lord has to give is found only in the crucified flesh of
the Lord Jesus. He who took all your sin into Himself and suffered and died for it
on Calvary’s cross is your Salvation and your every good. In the blessed
Sacraments, the righteousness and purity and forgiveness that He earned with His
suffering, death, and resurrection is bestowed upon you individually. His body and
blood enter into your mouths and cleanse you from all unrighteousness and
sin—transforming your hard hearts of sin and stupidity. For Christ is the wisdom
of God made flesh and He has come to make all things new—including you. As
we pray, "Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me."
Though we don’t often exhibit the good sense that God gave geese, yet in
His superior wisdom He has sent His only beloved Son Jesus to live the perfect life
that He demands in our stead. The Lord looks at you and sees not all of your
mistakes—your baggage—your bungling idiocy and sin—rather He sees
Jesus—the perfect and wise one who has done all things well—in your place. His
righteousness—His holiness—His purity—is now yours through faith in Him and
His sacrifice on the cross for all your sins.
And it is Jesus’ shed blood that covers all your sins and makes you
clean—turns you from the path of death and destruction—to the path of life
everlasting in His name. Because of Jesus the Lord God no longer remembers
your sin—rather He has thrown them into the Sea of Forgetfulness—separated
them from you as far as the East is from the West. Though your sins were as
scarlet—now you are as snow—pure and clean.
All this is God’s good and gracious will—poured out for you in the blessed
Sacraments—that have washed you clean and made you new through faith in
Jesus. This sweet knowledge comes not instinctively or through experience—but
is rather revealed in His holy Word, which is proclaimed into your ears, which is
poured out upon you in water, placed into your mouth in bread and wine, for the
forgiveness of all your sins. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

Location

​1324 9th Street​
International Falls, MN, 56649

​Join Us

Sunday School
Sundays at 10 a.m. September through May .

Worship Service

Sundays at 11 a.m. September through May
​9 a.m. June through August

Contact Us

Email: [email protected]
Worldview Everlasting   .   Lutheran Satire   .   Lutheran World Relief   .    Lutheran Reformation  .  Lutheran Mission Association
​
©Copyright St Paul Lutheran Church International Falls 2016-2018 | Waking Girl Web Design
  • Home
  • Service
  • Sermons
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Contact