YouTube -- 14th Sunday after Pentecost (August 30, 2026)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, August 30, 2026.

Sermon -- 14th Sunday after Pentecost (August 30, 2026)

o wn is Greek for "he who is."

THE LORD IS KNOWN BY HIS SALVATION.

EXODUS 6:2-8

In the name + of Jesus.

      It is happens often in Catechism Class when we get to the 2^nd Commandment.  The Commandment says, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:7).  The follow-up question is, “Well, what is his name?”  God gives us many names for himself, but I think the youth want something that seems familiar, as if I am going to say, “His name is Frank.” 

     In this brief section, God gives his name.  Three times, he says, “I am the LORD” (Exodus 6:2,6,8).  When you see that name written in all capital letters, it refers to a specific name that God gave for himself.  It means, “I AM.”  That tells us that the Lord is eternal and unchanging.  You and I change over time—from childhood to adolescence to adulthood to elderly.  Eventually, we pass away.  But the Lord is without beginning and without end.  He does not change.  He is always I AM.  The other thing “I AM” tells us about the Lord is that he is independent of everything.  If we managed to destroy our planet and every living thing on it, God would not have changed.  He does not depend on us for survival, for approval, or for glory.  But the Lord does not merely make himself known by his qualities.  He especially makes himself known by his deeds.  The Lord is known by his salvation.

     When the Lord appeared to Moses at the burning bush, he told Moses, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name, the LORD, I was not known to them” (Exodus 6:3).  This seems to contradict what the Bible says back in Genesis.  There, we read, “Abram moved his tent and went to live by the oaks at Mamre, which are at Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD” (Genesis 13:18).  Elsewhere, Isaac and Jacob also built altars and called upon the LORD.  So, they clearly knew his name.  What does it mean that they didn’t know him as the LORD?

     The Lord makes himself known by his salvation.  The Lord told Moses, “I … established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they were residing as aliens” (Exodus 6:4).  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob each received a promise from the Lord, but they never saw its fulfillment.  And they certainly did not see God’s salvation which he was about to bring about through Moses.

     The Lord told Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘I am the LORD.  I will bring you out from under the forced labor of the Egyptians.  I will deliver you from being their slaves.  I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment” (Exodus 6:6).  Moses and the Israelites would see the Lord perform great acts of power and judgment upon the Egyptians.  After the plagues, the Lord would save the people of Israel through the blood of the Lamb at the Passover.  When the Egyptian army would pin the people of Israel down on the shores of the Red Sea, the Lord would divide the waters so that Israel could pass through on dry ground.  The Egyptian army would pursue the Israelites, but the Lord would return the waters to their normal place and destroy Israel’s enemy.  Israel would witness a great victory—a victory in which they did nothing but watch God’s deliverance.  So, while the people of Israel knew the name of the LORD, they also witnessed his mighty acts of deliverance.  They knew the LORD as the one who delivers his people from bondage and brings them to the Promised Land.  The Lord is known through his salvation.

     You also know the Lord by his salvation.  The Lord became a man to deliver mankind from the bondage to sin and to death.  The eternal God entered our time.  The God who is independent of all things made himself dependent on Mary and Joseph.  He willingly accepted the mission for which his Father sent him into the world—to deliver sinners from their sins and the punishment they have earned, and to deliver people from their bondage of the grave.  The Lord will finally deliver you from a world of sin and sorrow to his promised Paradise.  The Lord is known by his salvation

     The Lord told Moses, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment” (Exodus 6:6).  The Lord’s outstretched arm refers to his miraculous feats of power which he displayed against the Egyptians.  When Jesus performed miracles, he demonstrated his outstretched arm with power over creation, over illness and disabilities, and even over the demons.  But when he acted to deliver you from sin, death, and hell, he did not perform great feats of strength.  Nevertheless, Jesus’ salvation was done with outstretched arms. 

     Jesus went to the cross for you.  To set you free from the bondage to sin, Jesus bound himself to your sins and suffered the curse for you.  He who is worthy of all the majesty of heaven endured all the torments of hell to set you free.  Jesus bound himself to your death and was laid in a grave.  But he destroyed the bonds of sin and death when he rose from the dead.  Jesus did that so that you are no longer shackled to sin and death.  Jesus has won the victory over your enemies—a victory in which you did nothing but receive his salvation.  This is how God has revealed his identity to you.  The Lord is known by his salvation.  And since you have been baptized into his name, the Lord gives you your identity: You are the children of the Most High God.

     Sadly, there are many who try to establish their own identity apart from God’s design and God’s intention.  There are men who say they identify as women and women who say that they identify as men.  For some, this is a serious mental issue, and they need your mercy and your prayers.  For others, it is rebellion against God who created them male or female.

     While people creating their own identity and taking pride in it seems to be a modern phenomenon, it is nothing new.  Consider Adam and Eve back in the Garden of Eden.  God had created them as the crown of his creation.  They were made in the image of God.  They were created to love God above all things and to love their neighbor as themselves.  This is still God’s intention.  This is what all people were created to be.  But Adam and Eve were not content with what God had made them to be.  They were convinced they needed to establish a different identity.  They bought into the devil’s lie, “God knows that the day you eat from (the forbidden fruit), your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).  Just as Satan was not content to be what God had created him to be, so he convinced people to do the same. 

     And is this not the root of all your jealousy and bitterness?  You see that God has blessed someone differently than you, and you feel cheated.  Your health is declining, and you become bitter.  Your job is not as exciting as someone else’s because you only pay attention to your challenges while you assume others bask in benefits and rewards.  Your marriage is not a Hollywood story, so you gaze at someone else’s spouse and think it would be better with him or her.  Repent. 

     This is what the Lord says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.  You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17).  To covet is to want something that God has chosen not to give you.  It is not merely being discontent, it is also telling God, “You should have given me better.  You blessed me according to your wisdom and love, but you are clueless.  I would rather have what you did not give.  I would rather be what you did not make me to be.  You should have given me a different spouse, different children, a different home, a different job, or a different body.  You are terrible at being a Father who is supposed to care for his children.”  How should the Lord respond to our covetous heart? 

     Repent.

     The God who created you knows you very well.  He knows the secrets of your heart.  And he knows that your heart deceives you when it assures you that all your feelings are justified and good.  This is what the Lord says: “The heart is more deceitful than anything.  It is beyond cure.  Who can understand it” (Jeremiah 17:9)?  Therefore, God tells you what he sees and knows.  He exposes your sinfulness to you.  He shows you that your sin makes you discontent.  He shows you that, because of your sin, you are never satisfied with your family, your job, or your body.  He wants you to know that you will never find contentment until the Lord himself provides it. 

     Rather than discard a corrupted humanity, the Lord acted to redeem it.  The Lord is known by his salvation, and he has acted to redeem you from your jealousy, your discontent, your bitterness, and any attempt to invent an identity apart from him.  The Lord has acted to restore mankind into what he had originally created them to be. 

He has renewed you in the waters of baptism.  No longer are you bound to your sinfulness.  The Lord has created in you a clean heart and renewed in you a right spirit.  With your renewed spirit, you know that it is good to align your life according to God’s word.  With your renewed spirit, the Lord enables you to find joy and contentment in your renewed identity.

     This renewal is on-going because the sinful nature still clings to you.  For some, this renewal will be a great struggle because temptation will always have a strong pull.  The world will tell you to exalt your feelings over God’s word and to exchange the image God renews in you for your own preferred identity.  If you are engaged in such struggles, you will need to cling to your Savior all the more—being guided by his word and strengthened by his sacrament.  It may be a hard battle, and that battle may go on for a long time.  But the Lord is a merciful and mighty Savior.  He stands with you in your struggles, and he upholds you in your weakness.  He is known by his salvation, and he will not abandon those who are struggling with their identity.  Victory, contentment, and peace will only be found in Jesus.

     The Lord reveals your true identity, and it is found in your baptism.  There, the Lord has applied to you the death and resurrection of Jesus.  He has put to death the sinner and raised you up a saint.  He who declares, “I am the LORD,” has put his name upon you to mark you as his very own.  You are a child of the Most High God—beloved, redeemed, and renewed for godly purposes.  The Lord is known by his salvation; and you are known by him as the ones he has saved.

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

State Fairs, a comparison

We have now been to three state fairs--Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.  Here is a review.

The Michigan state fair is held at an Expo center in Novi.  It is what you would expect from a state fair being held in an expo center.  As state fairs go, it is very disappointing.  I doubt we'd have ever gone back if it weren't 10 minutes from our house.  They did have good parking, though.

We had heard the Minnesota state fair is the best in the US.  My assessment has the Minnesota and Wisconsin state fairs as equals.

What Minnesota does better: Wide streets/walking areas.  There were LOTS of people filling the streets throughout the fair, but the width of the streets made walking easy enough.  There were also lots of shade trees throughout the fair grounds.  It was not hard to find relief from direct sunlight.  Very nice!

What Wisconsin does better: Parking.  WAY better than Minnesota.  Maybe seasoned fair-goers would disagree, but as newbies, we found the parking to be lacking and the resultant backed-up traffic to be frustrating. I might also give Wisconsin a slight edge in the buildings and stages.

Next year, we will have to put Iowa's state fair to the test as some claim theirs to be the best in the US.

Minnesota and Wisconsin can hold their heads up high. Both fairs are outstanding. 

Local Tourist -- Minnesota State Fair

The Local Tourist is expanding his definition of " local" to include a larger radius.  That now extends to the Twin Cities.  We went to the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul on Friday, August 28.

Food items consumed: soft drinks (not getting into that soda vs pop debate here) in our souvenir cups, walleye on a stick, chicken shawarma, pork chop on a stick (HAD to; would you skip a cream puff at the Wisconsin state fair?), and fried Snickers on a stick.  Also enjoyed an Octoberfest from Summit Brewing Company. It did not disappoint. 

We saw a few live bands.  Not Quite Brothers from Iowa did a great job.  Started to see Socaholix, but wasn't getting into the Reggae much.

Here are just a few photos.  We did not take many, but chose to enjoy where we were rather than snap photos of it.

Something from ... the Lutheran Confessions about Lutheran worship

The Lutheran Reformation is correctly labeled a conservative reformation.  The Lutherans sought to conserve as much as possible from the rites and ceremonies that the Church had always practiced.  The problem was not the rites and ceremonies, as if they needed to be jettisoned so that something new and innovative could take their place.  The reformers noted the abuses that had crept in over time (in some cases, having been practiced for a long time).  They exposed these abuses as unscriptural and removed them.  But, by and large, Lutheran worship in the 1500's looked strikingly similar to the Roman church.

Other efforts to reform the church (e.g., Calvinists, Anabaptists, and other groups simply labeled "Reformed") got rid of many established rites and ceremonies.  Basically, if it looked, felt, or smelled Roman Catholic, they got rid of it.  This would be known as the radical reformation.

But Lutherans were not radicals.  The Augsburg Confession goes to great pains to demonstrate that Lutherans are not a sect.  We are still the church catholic, meaning we have been faithful to the teachings and practices of the Christian Church, abuses having been corrected.

It may surprise 21st century Americans to read how Lutheran worship and practice is described in our confessions.  For various and sundry reasons, we have drifted more toward Protestant (i.e., radical reformation) practices.  The reasons are outside the scope of this post, but they are worth consideration.

The Lutheran Confessions describe Lutheran rites and ceremonies.  These are not mere historical documents which present a snapshot in time.  They are a faithful confession of the Scriptures and of the rites and ceremonies which teach and reinforce what the Scriptures say.  These confessions we still uphold and observe.  These are confessions which faithful Lutheran congregations have their pastors swear before God and his Church to believe, teach, and confess.

So, here is something from the Lutheran Confessions about Lutheran worship.

Our churches are falsely accused of abolishing the Mass. The Mass is held among us and celebrated with the highest reverence. Nearly all the usual ceremonies are also preserved… (Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV:1,2)

Because the Mass is for the purpose of giving the Sacrament, we have Communion every holy day, and if anyone desires the Sacrament, we also offer it on other days, when it is given to all who ask for it. (Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV:34)

We answer that it is lawful for bishops, or pastors, to make ordinances so that things will be done orderly in the church, but not to make satisfaction for sin… It is proper that the churches keep such ordinances for the sake of love and tranquility, to avoid giving offense to another, so that all things be done in the churches in order, and without confusion. (Augsburg Confession XXVIII:53-55.)

However, it is pleasing to us that, for the sake of peace, universal ceremonies are kept. We also willingly keep the order of the Mass in the churches, the Lord’s Day, and other more famous festival days. With a very grateful mind we include the beneficial and ancient ordinances, especially since they contain a certain discipline. (Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Article VII/VIII:33)

Masses are celebrated among us every Lord’s Day and on other festivals. The Sacrament is offered to those who wish to use it, after they have been examined and absolved. And the usual public ceremonies are observed, the series of lessons, of prayers, vestments, and other such things. (Apology to the Augsburg Confession, XXIV:1)

Nothing in customary rites should be changed without a reasonable cause. So to nurture unity, old customs that can be kept without sin or great inconvenience should be kept. (Apology to the Augsburg Confession, XV:51)

YouTube -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 23, 2026)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, August 23, 2026.

Sermon -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 23, 2026)

 A GREAT FAITH RECEIVES GREAT MERCY.

MATTHEW 15:21-28

In the name + of Jesus.

      There are times when it appears that our Lord ignores us and our challenges.  The Psalms remind us, “[Our] help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2).  When our help does not seem to come, we are perplexed by God’s seeming inactivity.  Is he concerning himself with bigger things?  Is he ignoring us?  Does he care?

     That was the case with the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus.  Our help comes from the Lord, so she came to her Lord.  She prayed for mercy, and for good reason.  She said, “A demon is severely tormenting my daughter” (Matthew 15:22)!  Her anxiety must have been through the roof.  She knew that Jesus brought healing and relief.  She yearned for it and begged for it.  She said, “‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David!  A demon is severely tormenting my daughter!’  But he did not answer her a word” (Matthew 15:22-23).  Jesus ignored her!  Maybe he was focused on bigger things.  Maybe he did not care.  But that does not sound like Jesus, does it? 

     If we attempt to defend Jesus’ callous response, we may cite a little background.  “Canaanites” refers to a number of nations who had inhabited the Promised Land.  They were wicked and practiced perverse worship, including child sacrifice.  The Lord had been patient with them, giving them centuries to repent.  When they did not, the Lord’s judgment came upon them.  That judgment could have come in the form of a plague or a natural disaster.  Instead, the Lord’s judgment came in the form of the sword, as the Lord commanded the Israelites to either drive the Canaanites out of the land or to kill them off.

     The Israelites were forbidden to show them any kind of mercy.  The reason was simple.  The Lord told them, “They will turn your sons away from following me, and they will serve other gods.  The anger of the LORD will burn against you, and then he will destroy you quickly” (Deuteronomy 7:4).  God had chosen the nation of Israel to be the people through whom the Savior would come into the world.  Allowing the Canaanites to remain settled in the Promise Land threatened the promise of a Savior.  No one was permitted to mess with that promise.  Therefore, the people of Israel were to extract or exterminate the Canaanite people.

     Obviously, they did not kill off all the Canaanites.  A Canaanite woman approached Jesus and pleaded with him for help and for mercy.  “But he did not answer her a word” (Matthew 15:23).  If we attempt to defend Jesus’ callous response, we might conclude, “No wonder he didn’t answer her a word!  She was a Canaanite!  She was marked for divine judgment, not divine favor.  Besides that, her daughter was possessed by a demon.  What cultish practice was she engaged in for that to happen?  She was getting what she deserved, and it was not mercy.”

     We are not told how long she had been crying out to Jesus.  Even if it wasn’t long, you can understand how it would quickly get tiresome.  It sure annoyed Jesus’ disciples!  They “pleaded, ‘Send her away, because she keeps crying out after us’” (Matthew 15:23).  If she was upset that Jesus had not answered her a word, it must have stung when he finally did respond.  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).  In other words, “I am here for the chosen people of God, not you.” 

     This Gentile woman—a Canaanite, no less!—did not give up on her petition.  She still trusted that Jesus would perform an act of mercy and healing.  She knew that Jesus was the Son of David.  In other words, he is the Messiah.  And he is not a Messiah for some; he is the Messiah for all—even for Canaanites.  So, “she came and knelt in front of him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’  He answered her, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to their little dogs’” (Matthew 15:25-26).  Ouch!  Jesus had reduced her to a little lap dog who should not eat from the Lord’s table.

     But great faith receives great mercy.  She persisted in her trust.  “[Our] help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2).  He is Christ, the Lord.  He is our help in time of need.  He is the Savior of the nations.  He delivers from sin, death, and especially from the power of the devil.  The Canaanite woman grabbed onto Jesus’ words, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to their little dogs” (Matthew 15:26).  She replied, “Yes, Lord” (Matthew 15:27).  Am I nothing but a dog?  Okay.  So be it.  I do not claim to be worthy of special treatment.  I know that I am not owed mercy; for mercy, by definition, is not deserved.  So, I will be a dog.  But I am the master’s dog.  I still benefit from the master’s care.  “‘Yes, Lord, … yet their little dogs also eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’  Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, your faith is great!  It will be done for you, just as you desire.’  And her daughter was healed at that very hour.” (Matthew 15:27-28).  Great faith receives great mercy. 

     The Canaanite woman refused to believe that Jesus was unconcerned for her, that he was merciless, or that his salvation was limited to a few.  She knew he was the Son of David, the Lord’s anointed—anointed to make the atoning sacrifice for sinners.  She knew that he had come to destroy the devil’s kingdom.  And if that was true, then he would relieve her daughter from the devil’s clutches.  So, she would not let Jesus’ gruff responses dissuade her.  She persisted in her faith.  She insisted that Jesus be who he is—a merciful Savior.  The crumbs from his table would be enough for her.  Great faith receives great mercy.

     Now, to my knowledge, no one here is demon possessed.  And chances are that you don’t know anyone who is.  But the devil does lay claim to everyone who enters this world.  We were all unclean, sinful even from the time we were conceived.  If we are to be saved, the Lord must deliver us from the devil’s grasp.  In Holy Baptism, the Lord converted you from unclean to clean, from sinner to saint.  Martin Luther’s rite of Holy Baptism even included a minor exorcism.  The pastor said, “Depart, unclean spirit and make way for the Holy Spirit.”  And in baptism, the Lord did what was promised: “You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).  In this way, Jesus had released you from the power of the devil.  The devil cannot have you; you belong to Christ.

     However, the devil is not willing to leave you alone.  He is called “Satan,” which means Accuser.  He oppresses you with accusations and rubs your sins in your face.  He replays the past, reminding you of sins from long ago.  He opens wounds and makes the guilt fresh all over again.  The Lord has warned us, “[The devil] is a liar” (John 8:44); but when he accuses you of your sins, he does not lie.  He reminds you of what you have done and replays what you had said.  He does not make anything up.  You know his accusations are true.  In this way, the devil oppresses you.  He focuses you on yourself and your sin.  He wants to convince you that you are worthless, unlovable, and irredeemable.  But he will suggest ways to cope, tempting you to turn to drugs or alcohol, or worst of all, suicide.  The devil plays dirty, and he will do whatever he can to drag you down to hell with him.

     But the Bible reminds you of this—and it is imperative that you take it to heart: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).  Jesus grants you relief not merely from the devil’s claim on you, but also from his oppressing you with guilt and shame and misery.  Therefore, you and I cry out to Jesus, and he does not get annoyed by your cries for mercy.  Like the Canaanite woman, you want to be free from being oppressed by the devil.  Like the Canaanite woman, you know that “[Our] help comes from the LORD” (Psalm 121:2), and there is no other helper.  Like the Canaanite woman, you don’t deny your sins or your misery.  You confess it, and flee to Jesus for deliverance.  Like the Canaanite woman, you plead, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David” (Matthew 15:22)!  And like the Canaanite woman, you trust that Jesus will provide deliverance, relief, and consolation for sinners.  For, “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, …abounding in mercy.  …He does not treat us as our sins deserve.  He does not repay us according to our guilty deeds” (Psalm 103:8,10).  We trust that Jesus will do what was promised.  For, great faith receives great mercy.

     See how merciful the Lord is!  He does not treat us as our sins deserve.  We deserve death and hell.  We’ve earned it.  Jesus does not give us what we deserve; that is mercy.  But neither can our sins just be ignored.  So, to destroy the works of the devil, Jesus let the devil do his worst to him.  To deliver us from Satan’s accusations, Jesus held himself accountable for every sin imaginable.  Jesus was treated as our sins deserve as he put himself under divine judgment for us.  But then Jesus rose from the grave.  He who took our sins away lives to bestow forgiveness.  He who overcame death lives to bestow eternal life upon us.  He who took up every accusation of sin lives to silence the devil and to declare you not guilty of all charges.  

     There are only two times in the Gospels that Jesus commended someone for having great faith.  Both were Gentiles—a Roman officer and a Canaanite woman.  If great faith receives great mercy, perhaps you wonder if your faith is great enough.  Fear not.  You are not saved by how strongly you believe or by how sincere you are.  You are saved by how merciful the Lord is.  You are saved by his work for you.  Faith does not look to itself to see how bold or strong it is.  The devil tells you to look at yourself.  But faith looks to Jesus.  His saving work is perfect.  His salvation is sure and certain.  This great Savior bestows great mercy.

     The Canaanite woman was content to receive scraps from the master’s table, knowing that even a little from him was enough.  It is enough for us, too.  Our goal is to dwell in God’s presence and be seated at the eternal banquet in heaven.  That will come soon enough.  For now, we come to the Lord’s altar.  Here, we receive a small portion of the heavenly banquet.  It is a moment of time and a smidgeon of food.  For now, we receive scraps from the master’s table.  And it is enough to strengthen and keep you in the true faith until life everlasting.  It is enough to forgive your sins, to ward off the devil, and to keep you safe in Jesus’ care.  It is more than we deserve, but it is gladly and freely given.  For, our great Savior bestows great mercy.

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