Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (July 26, 2026)

THE GOOD SEED PRODUCES A GOOD HARVEST.

MATTHEW 13:24-30,36-43

In the name + of Jesus.

      The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed and desired a good harvest.  The good seed has produced a good harvest.  It has produced saving faith in you—a faith which trusts God’s word, a faith which receives the benefits of Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death, a faith which is taught to say “No” to wickedness and “Yes” to godliness.  You are the good harvest. 

     But the kingdom of heaven has an enemy.  Although the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the enemy has infiltrated this world.  He has sown seeds of sin and unbelief.  And although his work results only in pain, suffering, and death, his work is not always as obvious as we would think.  In some cases, it is obvious.  There are people who have embraced the enemy’s lies.  As St. Peter wrote, they live “in unbridled immorality, lusts, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and disgusting idolatry.  For this reason, they are surprised that you do not plunge into the same overflowing river of filth with them, and they slander you” (1 Peter 4:3-4).  Their sins are obvious.

     But that is not the case with most.  Jesus described it this way: “When the plants sprouted and produced heads of grain, the weeds also appeared.  The servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  Where did the weeds come from?’  He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’  The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather up the weeds?’  ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because when you gather up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat along with them’” (Matthew 13:26-29). 

     You might recall that the King James Version referred to the weeds as tares.  We will use that phrase in a hymn later.  Tares are poisonous.  If you consumed them, you would get sick.  But you can’t tell the difference between wheat and tares as they grow together.  This is true in the world as well.  You usually can’t tell who is in the kingdom of God and who is not.

     Most people know how to behave.  Most people recognize that society works best when people are polite, decent, and generous.  As a result, we might assume that most people are in the kingdom of God.  You can’t know it by someone’s appearance or personality.  What if a man is grumpy?  Is he not in the kingdom of God?  On the other hand, what if a man is the life of the party and always picks up the check?  Is he in the kingdom of God?  We don’t know.  Atheists can be polite and generous.  Christians can be self-absorbed and self-centered.  We cannot distinguish the wheat from the tares. 

     It might seem sensible to uproot and remove all the tares.  That should make the world a better place, right?  But it would be a disaster if we tried.  Jesus explained why.  “When you gather up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat along with them” (Matthew 13:29).  The wheat and the tares will continue to grow together.  Jesus said they would remain until the harvest, that is, until the final judgment.  Then each will be shown for what he or she is.  Then our Lord will judge each person accordingly.

     Throughout the history of the Church, there have been repeated efforts to make the Church more pure and, allegedly, better preserved from sin and error.  Most of those efforts involved separation from a group or seclusion from society.  The Puritans wanted a more devout church than the Church of England.  They separated from it, even crossing the ocean to establish a pure church.  Monks wanted to free themselves from the wickedness of the world.  So, they left it and entered monasteries.  None of these efforts ever produced a pure church.  Sinners still brought their sinfulness with them.  Besides that, it is not what our Lord has called us to do.  How can you love your neighbor if you keep him away from you? 

     If the wheat and the tares grow together in this world, you can expect the world to be messed up.  And so it is.  If the wheat and the tares grow together in the Christian Church, you can expect the Christian Church to be messed up.  And so it is—with countless and conflicting denominations.  But the good seed produces a good harvest.  There is a Holy Christian Church, just as we confess.  It is the invisible Church, because God alone knows who are the true sons and daughters of the kingdom.

     But that does not mean we are incapable of recognizing the Church.  Jesus told us where to find the Church.  He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world.  The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:37-38).  The Lord Jesus establishes his Church where the seed is sown.  The Church is wherever God’s word is rightly preached and the sacraments are rightly administered.  There, the Holy Spirit is at work to create and to sustain faith in the hearts of people.  To remain in the kingdom of God, God’s people need to be where the word of God is rightly preached and the sacraments are rightly administered.  There, the good seed continues to be sown, and it will produce a good harvest.

     Unfortunately, the kingdom of God has an enemy.  Jesus said, “The weeds are the sons of the Evil One.  The enemy who sowed them is the Devil” (Matthew 13:38-39).  Just as it is not always easy to distinguish the wheat from the tares, so also it is not always easy to distinguish between the seeds, whether they are good or bad.  When the devil tells his lies, he is good at making them sound right.  He twists God’s word just slightly so that it still sounds like it is God’s word.  The devil perverts a part of God’s word, hoping that this will lead people farther away from the rest of God’s word.  The goal of the devil is to lead you away from Jesus, and he will do this bit by bit.  A ship that is only one degree off course will end up miles away from its far destination.  This is how the devil steers people away from the truth.

     This is how you can have many churches today which profess to be Christian churches and yet proclaim teachings that defy God’s word.  They will accept any and every lifestyle and say, “God told us to love our neighbor.  We do that here.”  Of course, God wants us to love our neighbor, so it sounds very Christian.  But when you say, “Some choices are wicked.  People need to repent,” they will condemn you.  “God told us to love our neighbor.  Why don’t you?”  You are enticed to embrace the lie, as if you have failed God’s commands.  Who doesn’t want to be known as open-minded and big-hearted?  The Enemy has sown this seed, and it takes root very easily.  Beware.  Love for your neighbor is never at odds with a love for God’s word. 

     The goal in calling people to repent is not to prove who is better or worse.  It is about a godly love for people so that they will not die in their sins and receive the judgment Jesus warned about: “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will pull out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and those who continue to break the law.  The angels will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41-42). 

     The reality is that we all entered the world as bad seed.  We confess with King David, “Certainly, I was guilty when I was born.  I was sinful when my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).  We acknowledge the words of St. Paul, “All have sinned and continue to fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 2:23—“fall short” is a present tense; it is an on-going reality).  While the sins of others may be obvious, we do not have to answer for them.  We have our own sins to answer for—sins of habit, sins of weakness, sins of looking down on others for their sins, sins of encouraging people in their sins because we would rather be in their good graces than in God’s.  We have much to answer for, and we don’t have any better answers than anyone else.  Repent.

     The good news is that we have a Savior who has stepped in to answer for us.  The Lord Jesus Christ has come to be our advocate before the heavenly Father.  Jesus does not excuse our sins.  Rather, he paid for them. 

     When Jesus stood on trial before the Sanhedrin, they accused him of many things.  Jesus did not give any answer to defend himself.  He was not trying to escape the cross or evade condemnation.  He accepted the charges for all of mankind.  He took all sins into himself.  And just as our Lord does not excuse any sins, so Jesus did not fail to take up any sins when he went to the cross.  No sins were too costly.  No sinner was omitted.  Jesus paid the price for every sin and every sinner.  As a result, Jesus answers for us before the Lord’s court.  All sins have been taken away.  All the charges have been dropped.  All have been issued a divine pardon.  

     God has planted the seed of his word in you to produce a good harvest.  As a result, you have received the benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  This is what makes you sons and daughters of the kingdom.  It is not because you are good; it is because Jesus is good and merciful.  It is not because you are righteous; it is because you have been covered in Jesus’ righteousness.  Jesus has cleansed you with his holy, innocent blood.  And if you need greater assurance of this salvation, here the blood of Christ is poured into you to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.  Here is the body that bore your sins and has overcome death for you.  Here the sacrament is rightly administered for the good of God’s people.  Here, the Lord works in you to increase your faith, love, and good works.

     The Lord has not removed you from this sinful world.  You remain here as God’s people to be a godly influence on the world.  You get to spread the good seed in the world so that more people can be gathered into God’s kingdom and delivered from the fiery judgment to come.  If you are grieved by the wickedness you see and experience, you will find peace only in Jesus.  Pray for patience and perseverance, knowing that the final harvest is coming.  Then you will be forever free from wickedness, and the Enemy of the kingdom will not be able to harm or harass you anymore.

     In the meantime, the wheat and the tares will grow together.  In the end each will be shown for what he or she is.  “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will pull out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and those who continue to break the law.  The angels will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:41-43).

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (July 30, 2023)

1 KINGS 3:5-12

OUR GREATEST TREASURE IS GOD-GIVEN WISDOM.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Jesus told another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).  Occasionally, we hear stories about people who discover treasures.  Perhaps it is a work of art that was purchased at a garage sale.  When one family recently had to clean out their father’s house, they discovered one million pennies in the attic.  Perhaps the biggest treasure that has everyone’s attention right now is the MegaMillions jackpot, which has now exceeded one billion dollars ($1.05 billion as of July 29). 

     When we think about finding or winning treasure, we also fantasize about what we would do with it.  How fast would you quit your job?  Would you get a new house?  What beach front property would you be looking at?  What luxury items—sports car, in home theater, season tickets in a suite, months’ long vacations, and so forth?  Nothing in your fantasies would live up to reality.  Gobs of money do not satisfy greed or produce peace.

     Now consider Solomon, the son of David.  He grew up with royal privileges.  When he was perhaps twenty years old, he inherited his father’s throne.  Suddenly, Solomon had sovereign power over an entire nation with the state treasury and military at his disposal.  Then this happened: “The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give you’” (1 Kings 3:5).  If you think the lottery is a big deal, imagine God offering you a blank check!  What would you do with it?

     Since you heard the lesson and since you are in church, you probably have gone straight to the answer that Solomon gave.  That is admirable, but I doubt it is honest.  What you fantasize about?  I’ll bet it is not about a greater faith or deeper knowledge of Scripture.  We lust after personal glory and gain.  We fantasize about pleasure.  But even if we got close to attaining our fantasies, they will never satisfy.  This is a world of thorns and thistles, pain and sorrow, death and decay.  The rich are not spared from these any more than the middle class or the poor.

     Solomon rightly understood his place in the world.  As king over a nation of a great number of people, he felt the pressure of his office.  Being sovereign does not make life easy; it is a burden.  The morning after his inauguration, the White House staff knocked on President Reagan’s door and said, “Mr. President, it is time to get up.”  He replied, “Do I have to?”  He felt the burden of the office.

      Solomon was not merely king, he was king over God’s people.  He confessed, “O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child.  I do not know how to go out or come in.  And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude” (1 Kings 3:7-8).  Solomon’s prayer was to serve in his vocation for the good of the people and for the honor of God.  Aware of his shortcomings, he sought the Lord’s help.  Greater than the treasures of his kingdom was the treasure only God could give. 

     Our greatest treasure is God-given wisdom.  Therefore, Solomon prayed, “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9).  The phrase “understanding mind” is literally “a heart that hears.”  We limit our heart to emotions.  As the Hebrews understood it, the heart is the source of emotions, intellect, and will—our entire being.  Therefore, Solomon’s request was more than, “Make me smart.”  Solomon sought to serve according to God’s will with his entire being, namely, “that I may discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9). 

     Our greatest treasure is God-given wisdom.  If Solomon were to have “a heart that listens,” what he listened to was vital.  It is vital for us, too.  Many voices vie for our attention to instruct us on what is good or evil.  One problem is that the voices often contradict each other; some saying, “This is good,” while others respond, “No, it is evil.”  Both insist they are right.  People also pull at you to be “on the right side of history.”  Whoever says this assumes that he is in the right and that future generations will prove it.  It also assumes that the world always moves toward improvement and righteousness.  An honest look at history shows that the world has always been messed up.

     Another problem of the world’s assessment of good and evil is that it is a moving target.  What was called good in the past may now be called evil, and what was condemned in the past may now be celebrated and promoted.  At one time, many in our nation thought that slavery was good.  Not long ago, many in our nation called couples cohabiting before marriage “living in sin.”  The point I am making is not that all the changes are bad.  The point I am making is that what is considered bad can always be changed.  Morals change constantly in our world.  Pressure is applied so that you will get on board with the new morality.  The voices continue to instruct you in movies and music and societal attitudes.  And our hearts often have ears for such instruction so that we are no longer repulsed by worldly ways.  Nothing shocks us anymore.  Even if we don’t adopt worldly ways, we may be reluctant or even unwilling to call them evil.  Repent.

     What does your heart listen to?  King Solomon’s request was right.  He prayed for a heart that listens “that I may discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9).  To do this, we listen to the word of God.  God does not change.  Therefore, God’s word does not change—not because of the times, not because of the place, and not because the state passed new laws.  God’s word is firm in assessing good and evil.  His word is the treasure we need.  God gave us this treasure not so that we will be on the right side of history as some claim to be, but so that we will stand on the Lord’s right side at the final judgment.  The world may vilify you now, but God will vindicate you on the Last Day.  The world may tell you to you to go to hell for adhering to God’s word, but God will damn those who despise his word.  Our greatest treasure is God-given wisdom.  We pray that more people will treasure it, for only the Bible makes us wise for salvation.  Only the Bible has the words of eternal life, unbreakable peace, and everlasting hope.

     Our greatest treasure is God-given wisdom.  Solomon prayed, “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind” (1 Kings 3:9), that is, “a heart that listens.”  Solomon was good at listening to the word of the Lord to begin with.  Unfortunately, Solomon began listening to other voices.  He played the political games of his day, which meant ratifying treaties by marrying the daughters of foreign kings.  You are not likely to attack your father-in-law.  To keep these wives happy, Solomon built temples so they could worship their foreign gods.  Solomon joined them in this worship, deciding that having multiple temples and gods was not really that bad.  In giving his ears and then his heart to these gods, Solomon abandoned the Lord.  I don’t know if Solomon died in the faith or not.  I would like to think that Ecclesiastes is Solomon’s letter of repentance penned late in life, but I don’t know.  In either case, Solomon is a cautionary tale.  This son of David was enticed by seductive voices.  He turned a deaf ear to God’s word and hardened his heart to the Lord.  He lost his great treasure.

     The first son of David proved to be unfaithful, but the greater Son of David proved to be faithful in all things.  Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David, dedicated his heart and mind and ears and mouth to the word of the Lord.  He delighted in divine wisdom.  He devoted his attention to it.  He taught it to others.  He lived it in his interactions with all people.  Giving his heart and ears to the word of the Lord also meant that Jesus would suffer and die for sins he did not commit.  The Son of David was faithful to that word.  He willingly took up our sins—our negligence of God’s word and prayer, our laziness in doing the good God calls us to do, our reluctance to call evil what God calls evil, our willingness to listen to lying voices which endorse our forsaking God’s ways to pursue our own, our fantasies for personal glory and pleasure.  For all sins, Jesus poured out his holy, precious blood as the atoning sacrifice which appeases God’s anger and delivers God’s mercy.  This is what makes you wise for salvation.  This is the treasure that brings peace and secures eternal life.  This treasure never loses value, can never be stolen, never fails you, and is not lost even when you die.  Our greatest treasure is God-given wisdom.

     “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).  Jesus Christ is our greatest treasure.  He was buried in a garden, but sprang forth Easter Sunday victorious over sin, death, and the devil.  Jesus bestows this victory to you so that you will have a resurrection to eternal life with a glory that will surpass your fantasies.  Let us be willing to suffer everything, even death, rather than forfeit the treasure that Jesus brings.  Let us be willing to dedicate our hearts and ears to his word so that God gives greater wisdom and so that we increase in heavenly treasures.  Where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.  Our greatest treasure is God-given wisdom.  

     And our Lord’s treasure is you.  “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).  If we hope to give up everything to gain Jesus, we will be heart-broken.  Who could ever boast that he has forsaken all things for Jesus?  But Jesus has given up all things to gain you.  He gave up the glories of heaven to live in a world corrupted by sin.  He set aside the riches of heaven to be an impoverished peasant.  He sacrificed his innocence to bear our guilt.  He who is immortal gave himself into bitter death.  Why?  To gain you.  To win glory for you.  To rescue you from foolish and destructive ways and to lead you in paths of righteousness.  To deliver you from death to life everlasting.  You are the treasure which Jesus joyfully redeemed with his life.

     This good news is what makes you wise for salvation.  The words of Jesus make you wise for discerning good and evil, life and death.  With grateful hearts, we devote ourselves to hearing his words; for there is no greater treasure.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (August 7, 2022)

 From the Pen of St. Paul

COLOSSIANS 1:21-29

WE ARE RECONCILED IN CHRIST.

In the name + of Jesus.

     From creation, God designed us for relationships—husband and wife, parent and child, brother and sister, friends, neighbors, business associates, and so on.  We establish friendships over mutual interests or experiences.  Sometimes that interest is “My kid is in the same class as your kid.”  Other times it is an occupation, a hobby, or a sports team.  Then the bonds of friendship grow through conversations, shared meals, and time spent together. 

     But relationships can be dashed quickly.  A poor choice of words is enough to do it.  Sometimes it is an inconsiderate act or an oversight.  A friendship can even be ruined by an insult that is merely perceived.  Strained relationships can be mended, but pride often prevents it.  We feel righteous in holding grudges and withholding forgiveness.  We insist that we are right regardless of the cost.  For a friendship to be restored, we must put our pride to death—either acknowledging that we are wrong or graciously forgiving the wrong done to us.  This produces a reconciliation, that is, we become friends again. 

     While God created us to enjoy relationships with one another, our closest relationship is to be with the Lord.  He has created us to be the objects of his affection now and for all eternity.  As the author of life, he tells us how it is supposed to be lived—what is good and what is evil.  He gives us the Commandments and holds us accountable to them.  He forbids us to follow another god or an alternative truth.  For, there is no other god and his word alone is truth.  If we do not follow the Triune God and his word, we trust in lies and worship idols.

     That is what it was like for most of the Colossian Christians.  Paul reminded them, “You … once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (Colossians 1:21).  They had followed idols and were hostile to the true God and his word.  But they were not unique.  All of us enter this world as enemies of God.  To this day, we can find ourselves fighting against God’s word.  When we don’t like what God tells us, we abandon God’s word for our own personal truth.  In doing so, we are self-deceived.  If you and I both believe that we possess the truth but we believe completely different things, we both can’t be right.  We might both be wrong, but we can’t both be right, because the truth cannot disagree with itself.  Personal truth is a lie.

     We are, by nature, alienated from God, hostile to him, and doing evil deeds.  This natural sinful condition still rears its ugly head.  We are hostile to God when we challenge his commandments, actions, or wisdom.  We can’t escape this sinful condition; we must be rescued from it.  We have a Savior who has done just that.  Jesus Christ “has now reconciled (you) in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:22).  Jesus has revealed to you that God the Father is not a God who is motivated by pride, but by love.  He seeks to reconcile all who are hostile to him.  He wants those who are alienated from him to be gathered to him for their good.  Jesus Christ has rescued us from our sinful condition and restored our relationship with God the Father.  We are reconciled to God in Christ. 

     Jesus is in very essence God—worthy of all glory, honor, and worship.  Rather than coming into the world prideful and boastful, he humbled himself to become a man, in fact, the servant of all mankind.  Even more than that, he humbled himself to take upon himself the responsibility for all our evil deeds.  He made himself the target of God’s wrath and put himself under God’s enmity because of our stubborn hearts and hostile minds.  He was pierced to the cross and there consumed all of God’s wrath against all mankind.  Jesus was alienated and forsaken at the cross by his Father so that we could be restored to the Father.

     We are reconciled in Christ.  Because of Jesus’ death, he presents you as “holy and blameless and above reproach” (Colossians 1:22).  Jesus has taken away all your guilt.  Therefore, you are blameless before God.  Jesus has consumed all of God’s wrath.  Therefore, you are above reproach; no judgment speaks against you.  You have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, you are holy—set apart from sin and death, and set apart for God and for godly living.  There is no condemnation for you, no judgment, no accusation, no anger whatsoever.  You are the object of God’s affection now and for eternity.  You are reconciled in Christ.

     Paul goes on to add one of the more bizarre comments about his apostleship.  He says, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Colossians 1:24).  First, we must recognize what Paul does not mean by this comment.  He does not mean that Jesus’ work of redeeming us is incomplete, as if St. Paul or anyone else had to add something to Jesus’ innocent life and sacrificial death.  Just before Jesus gave up his final breath, he declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30).  The sum total of Jesus’ work of redemption completed at his death.  The life of perfect obedience satisfies God’s demands of the Law.  The substitutionary death of Jesus satisfies the Law’s demands for justice.  Full payment has been rendered.  All sins are paid for.  There is nothing you or I or St. Paul could add to Jesus’ work.  If that were necessary, we would never know if the work were complete.  But we are reconciled in Christ.  The relationship has been restored.  God has declared you forgiven and beloved.

     So, what could have been lacking?  St. Paul was one of the apostles entrusted with preaching the whole counsel of God to the church.  The letters he wrote were written for us.  That’s why they have been preserved.  That’s why we read them in church.  The apostles recorded the words, works, and will of Jesus Christ.  But for Paul’s faithful proclamation, he was despised, arrested, beaten, and imprisoned.  Jesus had said this would happen.  Jesus’ words had to be fulfilled.  Paul suffered for the body of Christ, the Church, so that the Church would have Christ’s word etched in print for the entire New Testament era.  So, Paul was not suffering to complete Jesus’ payment; he was suffering to fulfill Jesus’ prophecy.

     Through this written word, the Holy Spirit works so that “you continue in the faith, stable, steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard” (Colossians 1:29).  By God’s grace, you hold to God’s word, confess it to others without bending, and live your life according to it.  You do this because you’ve been reconciled to God and now recognize that God’s commandments, actions, and wisdom are good.  But by continuing “in the faith, stable, steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:29), you will also suffer for the sake of his name.  I don’t think you have to worry about beatings or imprisonment, but people will criticize you when you confess Jesus the only hope for sinners and mock you for living as a child of God.  Now, you are the body of Christ.  The body of Christ still takes beatings, and Jesus said that this would happen.  And this will go on until he comes again to judge the living and the dead.

     But you need not fear or even shrink back.  You and I continue to come into the Lord’s presence where he encourages and strengthens us to “continue in the faith, stable, steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:29).  Any ridicule or suffering we endure in this world is nothing compared to the glory that is to come.  We are reconciled in Christ.  In Christ we remain under God’s grace and care.  Our reconciliation, our rescue, our resurrection to life everlasting come only through Jesus Christ, and he comes to us only through his word and sacraments.  This is why it is essential that we continue to meet in God’s house.  Here, the Holy Spirit will keep you “in the faith, stable, steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:29).  And the Lord will not forget your sufferings or those who caused you to suffer.

     We are reconciled in Christ, which means that you know God loves you, and you know what proves that God loves you and has saved you.  You have learned “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.  … God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27). 

     The Gospel is not a secret.  Once you have heard a secret, it is no longer a secret.  A mystery, however, is something that you continue to ponder even after you know it.  Among the mysteries about God is that he who is all-glorious chose to humble himself to become a man.  He who is almighty made himself weak, even submitting to the cruelty and injustice of sinners.  He who is immortal died.  He who demands obedience from mankind and holds us accountable for our sins made himself accountable and suffered and died for our disobedience.  We continue to ponder this, for this reveals a God who pardons the guilty and restores the relationship which was broken. 

     The mystery is also that Christ is in you.  Although you and I confess we are sinners—and rightly so, for we prove it—we also confess that we are saints—and rightly so, for God says so.  You trust in a holiness that is not yours.  You put your pride to death and boast in the risen Savior.  You are credited for doing good even though you still do evil because the blood of Jesus cleanses you and the Holy Spirit has cast out the unclean spirit in you.  You are a glorious people, but your glory is now hidden.  When Jesus Christ comes again to judge the living and the dead, your glory will be manifested by Jesus.  For now, we marvel at this mystery by faith.  But then, we will rejoice to see this glory revealed.  And Jesus will prove to all creation that we are reconciled in Christ.

     We are reconciled in Christ.  He is pleased to call you his friends.  This is a relationship that Jesus has established for all eternity.  It is not fragile; for it has been founded on Jesus’ perfect love and his steadfast commitment to you.  You are the object of his affection now and for all eternity.  This is what God has designed you for.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (August 11, 2019)

LUKE 10:38-42

THE ONLY THING NECESSARY 

IS TO SIT AT JESUS' FEET.

In the name + of Jesus.

     I'm sure you've heard it before.  Chances are you said it: “I was going to do that, but then life got in the way.”  We all make plans and have dreams.  Maybe you have a bucket list of things you want to do.  Rarely do we get to do them all.  Instead, we find that responsibilities and obligations force us to adjust our plans.  They may even dash our dreams.  We lament having to adjust our plans and dreams, but we do it anyway.  We recognize that our responsibilities are more important than our bucket list.  Obligations always trump dreams.  Complaining that “Life got in the way” suggests that our responsibilities are bad.  They are not.  Granted, they demand our time and our effort, but they are not evil.
     In most cases, your obligations are summed up in the Bible this way: “For we are (God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)  In other words, your responsibilities and obligations are the works that God has given you to do.  Far from evil, these are the good works God lays right in front of you.  You get to carry them out in your various vocations.  By doing them, you honor God.  Your dreams may be more fun for you, but your responsibilities are how you love and serve your neighbor.
     You are not unique.  All people have responsibilities.  Nor is it a new phenomenon.  Jesus entered a village.  And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. (Luke 10:38)  When Jesus came to visit, Martha's desire to serve kicked right in.  She was eager to be a good hostess.  So, she busied herself with meal prep.  Who could fault Martha for that?  If you were her guest, you would surely appreciate her hospitality.  Martha was busy, but not her sister.
     Mary … sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.  But Martha was distracted with much serving.  And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Tell her then to help me.” (Luke 10:39-40)  Don't you suppose Martha would have enjoyed sitting down and listening to Jesus?  Don't you suppose she would have enjoyed relaxing and conversing rather than being absorbed with the drudgery of meal prep?  Sure.  It would have been nice, but life got in the way.
     You know how the story ends.  Jesus replied to Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)  Martha often gets taken to task for her tasks.  Jesus did not rebuke her for doing what is evil.  Rather, he commended Mary for what she was doing.  Jesus described what Mary was doing as both “the good portion” and “necessary.”  She did not let life get in the way of sitting down at Jesus' feet to listen to the word of God.
     Once again, it needs to be stressed that Martha was not doing anything wicked.  Love your neighbor as yourself means that you are going to serve your neighbor.  To avoid that  obligation is to disobey God's command.  However, God's commandment is not limited to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Luke 10:27)  That is the second greatest commandment.  The first is this: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27)  Obeying the second greatest commandment is worthless if you do not keep the first.  Your neighbor may benefit, but God's wrath remains upon you if you do not honor him above all.
     Martha was fulfilling her obligations for her guest.  Jesus, however, reminded her that there was only one thing needful, and it was not her serving him.  We do not gain God's favor by how much we do, by how well we do it, or by how much others benefit from it.  God's favor is not won by works; it is given by grace.  It is given only by Jesus.  And it is delivered only through the word which is preached and the sacraments which are administered.  Therefore, the only thing necessary is to sit at Jesus' feet and to be served.
     Jesus said, “One thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion.” (Luke 10:41-42)  Mary sat at Jesus' feet to hear him teach about the kingdom of God.  If the kingdom of God were about how much we do for Jesus, Jesus would have commended Martha for all the service she was doing and would have chastised Mary for just sitting there.  Instead, it was Mary who was commended.  The only thing necessary is to set at Jesus' feet.
     This is also why we come to worship.  The Divine Service is not about what you are doing for Jesus.  Granted, we praise the Lord, we sing hymns, and we say our prayers.  But you and I do not bring things to God's house that God needs.  Our God is not served as if he needs anything from us.  We are sinners who need what God provides.  We come into his presence in order to be served by him and to receive gifts from him.  Here, God speaks to us through his word—in the liturgy, in the lessons, in the absolution, and in the sermon.  Here, Jesus feeds his sheep to strengthen them, sustain them, and to keep them united to him for their salvation.  Here, God declares his promises and bestows his blessings upon us.  God's grace is revealed and his salvation is delivered.
      Salvation is given not because we sang pretty enough, prayed hard enough, or worshiped fervently enough.  Salvation is given because the Lord Jesus Christ did the work of carrying your sins to the cross, taking upon himself the wrath of God, dying a cursed death, and substituting his perfect, innocent life for yours.  Jesus has suffered and died for you.  At his resurrection, Jesus did not appear to his disciples to give new rules to obey—as if Jesus completed his part of your salvation and you still have to prove your commitment to him by your works.  If you could not keep his first commandments, what makes you think you could keep a new batch of commandments?  Jesus assures you that everything has been fulfilled.  When he breathed his last at the cross, he declared, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)  No more works or sacrifices are necessary.  Jesus' resurrection declares that your sins are paid for and that your place in his kingdom is secure.  The only thing necessary is to sit at Jesus' feet and receive his gifts.
     Martha was so busy with her obligations that life was getting in the way of receiving these blessings from Jesus.  It is ironic.  Life was getting in the way for Martha while the source of life was sitting in her home.  Life was getting in the way while the Way, the Truth, and the Life was in her living room.  It is easy to get distracted and to be “anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” (Luke 10:41)  The good portion is what Jesus gives.  The only thing necessary it to sit at Jesus' feet.
     As long as you are in this world, you will have obligations and responsibilities.  They may be drudgery, but they are not evil.  They are the good works God gives you to honor him and to love your neighbor.  For that matter, even your dreams and bucket list are not evil as long as they are not sins.  But no matter what vocations God gives to you, they are all temporary.  They will not go on into eternity.  Your bucket list expires when you kick the bucket.  If your temporary vocations end up being more important than Jesus' eternal gifts, you will end up losing both.  That is why it is necessary to sit at Jesus' feet.  He blesses your obligations and your dreams now, and he promises everlasting rest to come.
     By sitting at Jesus' feet, you receive comfort, strength, and encouragement to support you through the joys and struggles in this life.  By sitting at Jesus' feet, you gain the hope and confidence that you will have everlasting peace and rest from all your labors in the glory to come.  Life cannot get in the way of this, for this is your life.  Only Jesus provides you with peace, mercy, and forgiveness here; and only Jesus will raise you up from the grave to have everlasting life and glory.  Only Jesus supplies all you need.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (July 22, 2018)

EPHESIANS 2:11-22

WE ARE RECONCILED 

INTO ONE FAMILY, BY GRACE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     In the Garden of Eden, there was perfect harmony.  Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect fellowship with God.  God loved and blessed them.  Adam and Eve loved and served God.  Adam and Eve also served and blessed each other.  There was no jealousy, no rivalry, and no hostilty.  But when sin entered into the world, this blessed fellowship was destroyed.  Adam and Eve ran from God and tried to hide from him.  Rather than love God, they despised him.  Rather than serve God, they sought to avoid him.  And when God confronted them about their sin, Adam was quick to blame Eve for everything.  The Bible does not record any conversations between Adam and Eve after their exchange with God, but I have to believe that they sparred with each other over whose fault it really was that sin entered into the world.
     Since that day, the world knows all about divisions, hostility, and rivalry.  It is seen in wars, revolutions, and violent crimes.  It is seen in politics and labor disputes.  It is seen in racism, social classes, divorces, and classroom bullies.  It is even seen in cliques.  Those inside the clique see themselves as a group of tight friends.  But to those outside the clique, it is viewed as a members-only club where others are clearly unwelcome. 
     The Church is not immune to these divisions and rivalries either.  Perhaps it was not as pronounced in Ephesus as it was in other congregations, but there were often hosilities between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians.  The Jewish Christians were able to boast of their lineage as God's chosen people from the Old Testament.  In their minds, to be Christian was to be Jewish.  Some suggested that certain requirements had to be met before Gentiles could really be a part of God's family.  The Gentiles, on the other hand, were hostile toward the Jews.  The Gentiles did not care to be regarded as “less-than” Christians because of their ethnic background. 
     St. Paul declares that neither had their place in God's family because of bloodline or skin tone or language or accent or even moral character.  All, alike, were sinners, violators of God's Law, and hostile to God.  No one is a natural born member of God's family.  Our adoption into God's family was purchased by the blood of Jesus alone.  He has reconciled us to God.  St. Paul wrote: “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one...  (He has created) in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross....” (Ephesians 2:13-16)    
     Jesus reconciled us to God by fulfilling everything the Law demands.  He did not play favorites.  He called both Pharisees and prostitutes to repent.  He showed mercy to both pro-Roman tax collectors and anti-Roman zealots (even including one of each among his apostles).  He served both rich and poor.  He healed fellow Jews, renegade Samaritans, and unwelcomed Gentiles.  Jesus was not influenced by nation, tribe, language, or race.  He came to serve and to save mankind.  He did not come because you are special; he came because you are a sinner.
     We are reconciled into one family, by grace.  “In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  … For he himself is our peace, who has … [reconciled] us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.” (Ephesians 2:13-14,16)  It is the innocent blood of Christ which has signed the adoption papers which brings you into God's family.  It is at the cross where Jesus paid the price for all jealousies, rivalries, and hostilities and put an end to them.  God is not angry with you.  Jesus declares peace from God to you.  He has reconciled you to God, restoring the fellowship which sin had destroyed.  Therefore, you recognize God is loving and merciful to you.  He does not merely tolerate you and tell you to keep your distance.  He brings you close to him.  He did not convert Jews into Gentiles or Gentiles into Jews.  Instead, he converted both into Christians.  Old rivalries were done away with and gave way to a new creation—the family of God.  The Lord calls you beloved sons and daughters.  You are his, and he is proud to say so. 
     You have been reconciled into one family, by grace, and that is what defines you now.  You are God's people—Christians, bearing the name of your Savior.  No longer is there any rivalry with God; for he is on your side.  He continues to teach you by his word to despise your sins as destructive and deadly so that you will put them away.  He continues to guide you by his word so that you recognize what is truly good and right—not because the world directs your thinking, but because God directs you.  And the Lord makes you eager to go and do it.
     We have been reconciled into one family, by grace.  The harmony we have with God also extends to each other because we all dwell in the same family.  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  (Ephesians 2:19-21) 
     We have been reconciled into one family, by grace.  We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and this is what identifies you.  But Satan still sows seeds of discord among us by having us think of ourselves in worldly ways.  We think that our identity and value are found in our opinions, our interests, our jobs, our social status, and so forth.  Then we gravitate to people who are similar to us.  We don't want to bother with those who are different and think that they need to be fixed.  Republicans and Democrats remain at odds.  The rich would rather not give much time to the poor.  And German- descent Lutherans might give the impression that you have to be German to be Lutheran.  While the world may label you according to your qualities, interests, and opinions, God does not.  God's household is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.  (Ephesians 2:19-20)  It is not our interests, our skin tone, our social status, or our accent which bind us together.  God does not convert these.  Rather, God converts you all to be one new, holy family in his household.  God's household is joined together by the word of God.  This is what marks us as God's people.  This is what saves us.
     We are all reconciled into one family, by grace.  How we serve in that family may vary.  Your vocation may make you more money or more famous than others, but it does not make you better.  You serve in your vocation as a child of God for God's glory and for the good of your neighbor.  That is what makes your vocation honorable, whatever it is.  And God still does not play favorites.  No one here is more a child of God than another because of vocation, social status, bloodline, skin tone, heritage, or even because of how long you have been coming to church.  Just as a newborn is as much a part of the family as a grandfather, so you are all equally members of God's household.  You are all dearly loved by the Lord.  You are all equally redeemed by Jesus.  You are all equally heirs of God's kingdom.  For, you all have this in common: You all have the same Savior. 
     We are all reconciled into one family, by grace.  No matter what your vocation is, someday it will come to an end.  But your status as a child of God endures forever.  Therefore, your place in God's family as a brother and sister should be more precious to you than any status the world wants to give.  And you should view every fellow member as equally precious—not because their opinions or social standing match yours, but because they are also fellow saints and members of God's household with you.  We are all reconciled into one family, by grace.
     When St. John caught a glimpse of the Church in heaven, he saw the saints gathered around the throne from every nation, tribe, language and race.  Whatever differences they had in their ethnicity, accent, or opinions did not matter.  They all had one thing in common—they were only there by right of their baptism into Christ which redeemed and cleansed them.  By this, they dwell as one family before God's throne.  The harmony has been restored.  God and men are reconciled; and mankind is also reconciled to each other.  It is what Jesus suffered and died to achieve.  It is what Jesus has included you in.  This is the family you have been brought into.  This is the family you worship with and pray for.  For, we are one family in Christ.  And since we are so loved by God, it is right that we love and serve one another.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (August 6, 2017)

ROMANS 8:26-27

THE SPIRIT HELPS US 
IN OUR WEAKNESS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The Lord does not desire you to go through your Christian faith and life on your own.  It seems to be somewhat trendy these days for people to insist, “I don't belong to any church.  I follow the Bible.”  Somehow, this is viewed as enlightened or the sign of spiritual maturity.  However, it is contrary to God's desire and design for his Church.  The Church is the body of Christ.  The body does not have stray parts that go it alone.  Parts of the body that are removed are diseased or dead.  Likewise, Christians are not designed to go it alone.  The Lord joins us to a body of believers for our own good.  We are weak, and we need each other to aid us in our weakness.  God unites us to him through his word and joins us to one another so that we can pray for each other, encourage each other, comfort each other, and if necessary admonish each other so that we do not fall into sin and away from the faith.
     However, the people with whom you are united are all sinners.  We all have our own particular weaknesses and struggles.  We are also absorbed in our own problems.  As a result, we are not considerate of the weakness or struggles of others.  We do not care for each other or pray for each other as we ought.  Some take this personally.  I might get upset that you do not have as much concern about my problems as I do.  My problems matter to me, and they should matter to you just as much.  Then sinful weakness continues to assert itself when I may question your Christian faith with the snide accusation, “I thought Christians are supposed to love each other,” suggesting that if you are not as absorbed in my problems as I am, then your faith is a fraud.  It may even get to the point where I leave the Church thinking that I am better off going it alone.  This is sinful arrogance.  Remember: We are all sinful.  We are all weak.  We do not serve each other as well as we ought.  Repent.  And remember your own weakness.  Then, you will remember to be merciful to others in their weakness.
     The Lord does not have any weaknesses.  He is faithful in his love for us.  That is why the Lord does not cut us off from himself.  We fail the Lord daily, but he continues to love us perfectly.  The Lord does not see our weakness and conclude that we are not worth it.  Rather, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. (Romans 8:26)
     The Lord does not desire you to go through your Christian faith and life on your own.  God gave you his Spirit so that he would help you in your weakness.  St. Peter urged the crowds at Pentecost: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:39)  At your baptism, the Lord united you to Jesus.  In your baptism, your sin became Jesus' sin, and his righteousness became your righteousness.  You were delivered from your sin and covered in Jesus' holiness.  You were adopted into God's family.  And more than that, you received the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Now, the Spirit dwells in you.  The Holy Spirit has given you new life and continues to create in you a right spirit which wants to do all that God wants.  This is why your weakness frustrates you.  You want to do what is right, but you fall short.
     Nevertheless, the Spirit helps you in your weakness.  He continues to work in you so that you continue to fight against sin and temptation.  But he also assures you of your place in God's kingdom.  St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “In (Christ) you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it....” (Ephesians 1:13-14)  The Holy Spirit, who dwells in your body, will also raise your body at the resurrection to receive eternal life in God's kingdom.  Through word and sacrament, he will preserve you in the Christian faith until life everlasting.
     The Lord does not desire you to go through your Christian faith and life on your own.  This is especially true when we are seeking to do God's will in our lives right now.  Therefore the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)  
     The Spirit helps us in our weakness.  He gave the prophets and apostles the words of God to write down so that we can know God's will and pray that it be done among us.  But we do not always know what God's will is.  Do I take a new job or not?  Should I move to a new town or not?  Is this the right person to marry?  Should I have the surgery or can I put it off?  God does not tell us these things in his word.  He leaves the judgment of these things to us.  But then we are left to groan under the uncertainty and stress as we wonder what to do.  Our prayers falter, because we don't know what to pray for.  Dear Christians, you have not failed when you stammer through difficult prayers.  That is when the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  He prays for us and carries us with groanings too deep for words.  Though the Spirit's intercession for us may be unspeakable groans, the Father and the Son hear his prayer loud and clear.  The Father and the Son know the mind of the Spirit.  And the Triune God is fully united in doing what is best for you.
     The Spirit helps us in our weakness, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27)  You don't know what God's will is for every direction or decision of your life.  But you do know that the God who gave up his only begotten Son to redeem you and you has sent his Spirit to dwell in you will always do what is best for your eternal well-being.  And the Holy Spirit intercedes for you that this will always be done for you.  It does not mean that you will always get what you want.  Children always know what they want, and they are convinced that their ideas are always best.  Parents who are older and wiser recognize that it is not best to give children whatever they ask for.  In some cases, it is destructive.  You can't have ice cream and candy for every meal.  In some cases, it is unrealistic.  You can't go to Disney World every weekend.  And in some cases, parents recognize that denying a child or disciplining a child is what is best for them.  A spanking now purges bad behavior later.  Having your children learn not to gratify every craving now will teach them contentment in the long run.  You may have to hear tantrums now because they want their goodies.  Later, what is perceived as hardship now will prove beneficial.
     So it is with you.  Out of love, God may have you endure problems, struggles, and pain just so that he can highlight your own weaknesses to you.  You will not think so, but this is good.  God even graciously puts up with your tantrums as he lovingly shows you how much you need him.  If you know that you are weak, then you have to rely on God for your strength.  If you suffer, then you will look for comfort.  If you struggle and grow weary, then you will not pretend that you can go it alone and you will seek mercy and aid.
     The Lord does not desire you to go through your Christian faith and life on your own.  You can't.  Therefore, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  The Lord is our strength when we are weak.  Throughout a life of uncertainty, God upholds his sure promises.  Through days of sadness and death, the Lord promises us the peace and joy of eternal life.  In our frustration and weakness, when our prayers come down to groans of “Lord, have mercy,” he does.  The Spirit prays for us and helps us in our weakness.  The Spirit, who dwells in us, serves to comfort, to encourage, and to preserve us in God's kingdom for all time.  This is his work, because this is God's will.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (July 17, 2016)

COLOSSIANS 1:21-29

WE PROCLAIM 

THE MYSTERY OF GOD.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Behold!  We are proclaiming the mystery of God, and that mystery is this: Christ dwells in you.  He has to, or else you are not saved.  He has to, or else you are unclean and under God's curse.
     That Jesus is your Savior is a great mystery.  It is not a secret.  A secret is something which is unknown.  But once a secret is revealed, you know all about it.  But a mystery is something that we ponder and will never unravel.  We know the message, but we can never truly grasp the depth of it.  We proclaim the mystery of God—that God has become man to dwell with sinners, to save them, and to dwell in them.  He has to; for, if God is unwilling to dwell with man, then there is no way man can ever dwell with God.  But Jesus is your Immanuel.  He is “God with us.”  He is God for us.  By faith, he is God within us—conforming our lives to his will, working in us to do good works through us, and sustaining us even through death to the resurrection to eternal life.  This is the mystery of God we proclaim.  We continue to ponder it, because our reason will never grasp it.
     Unfortunately, we lean on our reason to figure these things out.  We look for evidence of godliness, and we end up drawing faulty conclusions.  For example, your friends like you.  They speak favorably of you.  They might even say that you are such a good person that God will reward you for being nicer than most other people are.  Now, I am not going to tell you that you are not nice people.  Most people are nice.  But being nice does not save anyone.  Even felons can be nice, but they are still criminals.  Our senses and emotions prove nothing.  Our fondness for or dislike of someone should never be confused with God's judgment.
     This is what the Lord says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)  Our hearts deceive us.  We credit ourselves with good intentions even when we do selfish things or think vicious thoughts.  We don't put the best construction on other people's words and actions; rather, we are quick to take offense that people do not regard us as highly as we regard ourselves.  If you don't think so, sit in the ER sometime.  You will see the people waiting ahead of you and wonder, “Seriously, what is their problem?  They don't look bad at all.  I am the emergency.  And why are the nurses so slow?  What's taking them so long?  Why aren't they tending to me?  They must take great pleasure in making me wait and watching me suffer.”  We assume the worst of others and despise them for not making us their first priority.  We are self-absorbed and self-important, and we still believe that we are good people.  The heart is deceitful above all things.
     But now, we proclaim the mystery of God, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:27-28)  Notice what Paul says: “Him—that is, Christ—we proclaim.” (Colossians 1:28)  You see, the kingdom of God is not about you.  Your sinful nature sure wants it to be.  You want to be exalted and praised and honored and respected and accepted.  You want God to notice you and tell you how he loves what you do.  But St. Paul reminds you that God's stamp of approval does not come because of your deeds: “You … were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds....” (Colossians 1:21)  The sinful nature never improves.  The sinful heart remains deceitful above all things.
     It is not that you have overcome what you once were; it is that you have been rescued from what you once were.  Christ has put his stamp on you, and that is why God approves of you.  That is why we proclaim the mystery of God, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:27-28)  With that, our focus and our gospel rest on the one who delivers us.  If we are in Christ and Christ is in us, then we are saved.  Then our hope remains firm.
     We proclaim the mystery of God.  Jesus Christ is God who became man, not merely to live with us, but to become one of us.  Our Lord desired your salvation to the extent that he united himself to you and took up your cause.  Jesus did the good that is supposed to be done.  Not only did Jesus' friends and strangers recognize the good he did, even his enemies could not deny his good works.  Pontius Pilate, who finally ordered Jesus' execution, repeatedly announced that he had done nothing wrong.  That's because Jesus was not merely nice, he was holy.  That holiness answers for you.  It is why you get to stand before God with the verdict Jesus has earned: holy and blameless and above reproach. (Colossians 1:22)  That is why we proclaim Jesus rather than ourselves, because salvation is found only in Jesus.
     We proclaim the mystery of God.  He has now reconciled (you) in his body of flesh by his death... (Colossians 1:22)  We proclaim the mystery: our God is a man.  He took our sins into his fleshly body.  Jesus' body was nailed to the cross for sinful acts he did not commit and for perverse thoughts he did not ponder.  He bled and died for you in order to reconcile you.  Jesus was forsaken by his Father at his death so that the Father will never forsake you at yours.  Jesus became “God with us” in order to bring us back to God so that we would dwell with him forever.  By faith, we even have our God dwell within us, creating in us a clean heart and renewing in us a right spirit.  All the good that we do is God working in us and through us.
     This is a mystery which we continue to marvel at, and the world continues to mock.  The world declares a work to be good if it benefits one's neighbor.  The world says it is good if you help people do whatever makes them happy, even if God forbids it.  The world will rebuke and reproach you if you fail to do so.  The world is outraged when we do not praise sins and is perplexed when we do not participate in them.
     God, however, declares a work good only if the one who does it is good.  In God's assessment, a wicked man cannot do good at all.  By his death, Jesus Christ has rescued you from wickedness.  By faith in Jesus, you have been declared holy and blameless and above reproach. (Colossians 1:22)  The blood of Jesus continues to purify you of all sin. (1 John 1:7)  That holy blood is the stamp that Jesus has put on you, and therefore, God approves of you and your works.  Now, if God will not reproach you, then you know that glory awaits you in the life to come.  To the world, that is an inexplicable mystery.  To us, it is the mystery of God which we proclaim, ponder, and put our hope in.
     We proclaim the mystery of God which also consists of this: God delivers his salvation to us through material things.  Just as God took on flesh to save us, so God continues to come in material things to deliver that salvation to us.  He attached his word to water to wash you clean of sin and guilt.  He attaches his word to bread and wine to deliver to you the body and blood which reconcile you to God.  He delivers his word through the mouth of fleshy ministers who bestow God's peace upon you.  Jesus does not divorce himself from these tangible things; rather, our Immanuel continues to be with us and to come to us through them.  For, God does not merely save spirits; he saves people.  Therefore, Jesus died in his body, but also rose in his body from the grave to redeem you completely so that he will raise you up completely in body and soul for eternal life.  And therefore, you serve him not just in spirit, but with your whole being.
     We proclaim the mystery of God: The man, Jesus, is God.  God is the man, Jesus.  He who became flesh takes up residence in your flesh to make you God's own forever.  Your goodness, your salvation, and your hope are found only in Jesus Christ.  And by faith, Jesus Christ is found in you.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (July 26, 2015)

COLOSSIANS 1:21-29

CHRIST RENOVATES 

THE CHRISTIAN'S LIFE.

In the name + of Jesus. 

     If you have ever taken the boat ride over to Mackinac Island, you have seen Round Island Lighthouse.  It is a beautiful, red and white lighthouse which marks the way into the harbor at Mackinac Island.  That lighthouse was not always so beautiful.  After it was no longer manned by a government-appointed light-keeper, the lighthouse fell into disrepair.  In fact, it was pretty much a ruin.  Many people would have said the reasonable thing to do was to demolish it.  A group of lighthouse enthusiasts took strides to save it.  They collected funds and put in the work to restore and renovate that lighthouse.  You'd never guess today that the Round Island Lighthouse had been a dilapidated mess.  It was renovated into something beautiful.

Round Island Lighthouse before renovations.

     St. Paul told the Colossians that they were pretty much the same.  They were broken in their sins, and they could not fix themselves.  In their sinful condition, they were hostile to God, despising God's commands of right and wrong, pursuing their own selfish goals, and gratifying their own lustful cravings.  Many would argue that the reasonable thing to do is destroy such rebellious sinners.  Nevertheless, St. Paul wrote, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:21-23)  
     These Colossians had been broken, alienated, self-glorifying, self-gratifying, enemies of God.  That is what they were.  Through the Gospel, God revealed himself as the one who heals them of their brokenness, who reconciles them from their alienated status, who emptied himself of glory to suffer and die to win them glory, and who turned them from enemies of God into children of God.  God revealed himself through Jesus Christ who suffered and died for sinners in order to reconcile sinners to God.  In baptism, Jesus cleansed them so that they were now holy, blameless, and above reproach before God the Father.  Christ renovated these Christians, covering them in his own righteousness.  Of course, this is not just the story of the Colossian Christians; it is the story of every Christian.  This is your story, too.  Christ renovates the Christian's life.
     Because it was renovated, Round Island Lighthouse is beautiful.  But you only get to see the outside.  The online virtual tour reveals that the inside is still a work in progress.  It will take some time and effort before Round Island Lighthouse is renovated to be what it was originally designed to be.
     Christ renovates the Christian's life.  It is more than the fact that you have been covered by the blood of Christ.  It is more than the fact that you bear the status of God's holy children.  The mystery is greater than than.  The mystery is that Jesus Christ dwells in you.  St. Paul declares that he was made a minister of Christ to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:25-27)  Jesus Christ dwells in you.  Jesus transforms you so that you not only are a child of God, but also so that you now live as a child of God.
     Christ renovates the Christian's life.  Your sins have never been acceptable to God.  God has led you to repent of them; therefore, your sins are no longer acceptable to you, either.  Day after day, you strive to rid yourself of your sins.  If your house had rodents running around in it, you would do everything to get rid of them.  Rodents are destructive.  They are undesirable.  They can even bring in disease.  You want them out; and you would prevent them from getting back in.  Your sins are far more destructive and deadly than rodents.  That is why we do not give into them again.  Christ's forgiveness is not a license to continue in your sins.  Christ's forgiveness is never to be used as an excuse for doing evil deeds.  Jesus died for these things!  Why would we return to them?  Rather, we flee from them.  Christ renovates the Christian's life.  He transforms us so that we despise what is wicked and pursue what is good.
     Now, you likely recognize that your life does not measure up to what you what it to be and to what it should be.  You are not unique in that.  No one gets to where they want to be.  Though we all strive to live as children of God, we still prove ourselves to be sinners.  That does not mean that Jesus Christ has failed us.  Christ is not weak; we are.  We still struggle with temptations, and we still succumb to them.  We still need a Savior.  But Jesus Christ does not abandon you in your weakness.  Christ still dwells in you.  He still marks you as his own.  He continues to cover you with his righteousness.  He continues to work in you to transform you.  He is day by day, year by year, working in you so that more and more you are being renovated into the creation God has always designed and intended you to be.  His renovation project in you will go on for the entirety of your life.  If you are hearing God's word and partaking in his sacraments, Jesus Christ will always dwell in you and work in you to make you more Christ-like.  That is how he renovates the Christian's life.
     St. Paul wrote, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church...” (Colossians 1:24)  Christ renovates the Christian's life, even through sufferings.  It is not that Christ's atoning sacrifice is in any way insufficient for your salvation.  Jesus died for sins, once for all, to bring you to God.  That is certain, and it is complete.  Yet, the Church is the body of Christ, and the body of Christ will still be afflicted until Jesus comes again.  Just as the world hated Jesus and crucified him, so the Church also shall be despised for speaking as Jesus speaks and for loving as Jesus loved.  St. Paul notes that these are necessary.  If you are suffering for the sake of Christ, that demonstrates that Christ truly does live in you and that Jesus' work in you is seen by others.  If you would suffer, let it be for doing what is good and right.  Your flesh will hate it, but Christ blesses it and marks it as glorious.
     Even by afflictions, Jesus renovates the Christian's life.  He teaches you with any and every affliction not to long for this world and its problems.  With common aches and pains, he reminds you that these bodies will wear out and die, but he has revealed to you that a perfect, glorious body will be given to you at the resurrection.  With every indignity that others would inflict upon you, you are reminded that your glory does not come in this world, but after the resurrection.  Remember: The glory Jesus gives you is not a momentary thing in a temporary world.  Jesus Christ, who dwells in you, will bring you to glory everlasting in Paradise.  Every affliction forces us to flee to Jesus, and therefore, every affliction serves a good purpose for us, making us more Christ-like and more eager for his good gifts.
     Christ renovates the Christian's life.  He renews you day by day, even as he already declares you to be perfect and glorious, holy and blameless.  Christ dwells in you and is transforming you—your mind, your words, and even your will—so that you will be more Christ-like in every way.  And just as he dwells in you now, so also he will carry you through death to life eternal where your transformation will be perfected and your renovation complete.  At last, you will be precisely what Jesus Christ has designed you to be, and you will bear that perfect design forever.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (July 21, 2013)

LUKE 10:38-42

ONLY ONE THING IS NECESSARY.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Our Lord Jesus Christ chooses his words carefully.  That is why it is so valuable to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Scriptures.  They will guide you in all truth, and they will keep you from being led astray.  It is always good to know what our Lord does say and what he does not say.

     So, pay heed to what our Lord says: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” (Luke 10:41-42)  Now, Jesus does not say that only one thing is useful or helpful or good.  Indeed, there are many things in our world that are useful and helpful and good.  It is good and useful for you to serve your neighbor in whatever capacity God has given you to do it.  Dentists clean and fix teeth.  Car mechanics keep cars running.  The mayor oversees the order of the city.  Parents nurture, discipline, and care for their children.  The husband devotes himself to the well-being of his wife, and the wife submits to the care and protection of her husband.  These are all useful and helpful and good.  Through the diligent and faithful service of people in their various vocations, God blesses people in our world.

     People are blessed by the work that you do.  You are also blessed by the work that other people do.  There is no denying these things.  But as good as these things are, they are not necessary, which is to say, these things do not bring you God’s salvation.  You are not saved by having the dentist clean your teeth, and you are not saved because you put in an honest day’s work.  Many things are helpful, useful, and good; and most people do them.  But only one thing is necessary.

     Now consider Martha.  Jesus had come to her home.  Likely, he had come for a festival at Jerusalem.  Rather than staying in Jerusalem, he stayed with Martha and Mary and Lazarus in nearby Bethany.  These siblings all knew who Jesus was.  They confessed him as Lord and Christ.  He was the most honored guest their house would know.

     Now, if you had Jesus coming to stay at your home, wouldn’t you also go overboard to make sure he was treated well?  You would make your home immaculate.  You would prepare the best meal you knew how.  You would be a flurry of activity.  Martha was.  She wanted to be sure that her guest—her Lord!—was going to receive royal treatment in her home.  And so she was busy, exceedingly busy.  There was so much to do, and it was all important.

     That is probably how you feel about your life, too.  You have many obligations, many responsibilities.  Your life is filled with stress because of schedules, meetings, deadlines, and bills.  You might even feel like leisure time is something you have to cram in.  If you look at all of the things that fill your weekly schedule, chances are none of them is wicked.  Your job, your house work, your exercise, scheduling appointments, running your children to these appointments, checking e-mail, or checking what’s on TV—none of these is wicked.  Much of it is important, because it benefits you and your family.  It is useful, helpful, and good.  But it can also turn into distractions and excuses.  It did for Martha.

     Martha was a busy woman.  Mary, however, was getting on her nerves.  It wasn’t that Mary was getting in the way.  It was that Mary was doing nothing!  Martha was busting her tail, and Mary was sitting on hers.  She implored Jesus to tell Mary to do something helpful, useful, and good.  Jesus surprised Martha.  Jesus told Martha that Mary was doing what was good!  He replied, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42) 

     Only one thing is necessary.  Only one thing is crucial and essential.  Only one thing has everlasting value.  So, finally, only one thing is good—Jesus Christ.  I suppose it looked like Mary was doing nothing as she sat on the floor, but St. Luke tells us that Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. (Luke 10:39)  Mary craved the one thing that was necessary.  She yearned to hear her Savior’s voice.  For, she knew that Jesus alone has the words of eternal life.  He alone is the source of forgiveness and salvation.  He alone is the way to the Father, the light for those living in darkness, the resurrection and the life.  Only one thing is necessary, and it is Jesus.

     Jesus Christ has come to serve us because we have done neither good nor the necessary works of God.  Often our works and our words are harmful instead of helpful, devoted to our own glory and gain rather than to the benefit of our neighbor.  But all Jesus has done, he did for your good, your gain, and your glory.  He did the good you need, and he died for the evil you have done and for the good you have failed to do.  He has taken your sin and suffered the harm you had coming.  Jesus has paid the price. 

      His greatest work, his necessary work, was completed at the cross.  But the benefits are not given there.  Jesus gives his benefits where his word is preached and his sacraments are administered.  So, to receive the only thing that is necessary, the Church, like Mary, sits at Jesus’ feet.  You crave to hear the words of comfort and peace from your Lord.  You renew your baptism by confessing your sins and receiving the Lord’s absolution.  You kneel at the communion railing to be given the body and blood of the Lord where the Lord strengthens and keeps you in the one true faith.  Jesus’ gospel comes in many ways, but it is the only thing necessary.  For, the Gospel is the only thing that saves you.

     Mary’s posture demonstrates how God’s salvation is entirely his doing and his gift.  As we noted earlier, Mary sat and did nothing.  The Lord gave, and she received.  The Lord served, and she rested.  And so it is for the Church.  Here is your Sabbath rest.  Here the Lord serves you.  You rest; the Lord works.  The Lord gives; you receive. 

     Only one thing is necessary—the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This is the where the Lord is at work for you.  This is how Jesus delivers you from death and the devil, makes you a member of God’s family, comforts your grieving heart, soothes your anxious soul, calms your fearful mind, and guarantees your eternal life.  This world will always give you problems and pressures which will make you anxious and troubled.  If you long for peace from a hectic pace, if you long for comfort in a painful world, if you crave relief from an accusing conscience, if you desire assurance of God’s mercy, if you are looking for a life without stress, without misery, without sickness, and without death—then flee to Jesus.  Take time to sit at his feet and do nothing.  Let him serve you.  It is not only useful, helpful, and good, it is the only thing necessary.

     Go forth from here and carry out your tasks and responsibilities.  Do not despise these things.  Jesus did not call Martha a wicked woman for her diligent service.  Likewise, God gives you your tasks and responsibilities so that you can serve others, glorify him, and demonstrate your faith.  Such service is good and helpful and useful.  But remember: Only one thing is necessary. 

     Therefore, the Church, like Mary, sits at Jesus’ feet.  This is your greatest service to the Lord.  By doing this, you honor him as your gracious Redeemer.  It is your clearest confession of faith.  By doing this, you acknowledge your total dependence upon Jesus for your salvation.  Sitting at Jesus’ feet is your most important work all week, and it is necessary.  This is where the Lord gives his blessings and his gifts.  This is how Jesus bestows forgiveness and salvation.  This is the good portion, and it will not be taken away from you.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.