Sermon -- 10th Sunday after Pentecost (August 2, 2026)

JESUS IS OUR PRICELESS TREASURE, AND WE ARE HIS.

MATTHEW 13:44-52

In the name + of Jesus.

      The chief hymn for today is “Jesus, Priceless Treasure.”  In it, we call Jesus our “Fount of purest pleasure.”  You would think that a hymn which exalts Jesus as our purest pleasure might have a peppy tune.  Instead, we have a tune that is quite serious.  I would argue that this is not a flaw.  This hymn is not a pop song; it is a fight song.

     Why is Jesus our priceless treasure?  The hymn tells us why; and as it does, it calls out our enemies—sin, death, and the devil.  Sin is our enemy, marking us for condemnation.  Death and the grave are our enemies; they seize all of us.  And Satan is our chief enemy.  His name means “Accuser” because he accuses and taunts us over our sins.  He even refreshes the memory and the shame of sins that happened years ago.  He doesn’t make up the charges, either.  He simply holds up the record that stands against us, and our conscience confirms that Satan’s accusations are accurate.  We have done what is evil, and we have failed to do what is good.  We have been overcome by our enemies.  But for us fights the Valiant One.  He has fought for us and won.

     Jesus is our priceless treasure because he has removed our offenses from us, because he has conquered the grave for us, and because he silences the devil for us.  Remember, the devil is a liar.  Even if he does not lie about the sins you’ve committed, he lies that your sins still cling to you.  Jesus has taken them away.  “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  And so, we sing our fight song, even mocking our enemies:

        “Satan, I defy thee;
           Death, I now decry thee;
              Fear, I bid thee cease.
        World, thou shalt not harm me;
           Nor thy threats alarm me
              While I sing of peace.
        God’s great power Guards every hour;
           Earth and all its depths adore him,
              Silent bow before him” (Jesus, Priceless Treasure, stanza 3).

     Jesus told these brief parables about priceless treasures and the kingdom of heaven: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again.  In his joy, he goes away and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls.  When he found one very valuable pearl, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46). 

     Jesus is our priceless treasure, and for good reason.  There is nothing on earth that can rival him.  There is no other name given under heaven by which we are saved.  There are many who preach “How to” sermons which instruct you to avoid sins.  Only Jesus takes your sins away.  There are many medicines which can maybe prolong your life.  Only Jesus grants the resurrection to eternal life.  Psychologists can give you ways to cope with the guilt that Satan piles upon you.  Only Jesus can soothe a troubled conscience because he has crushed the Serpent’s head.  Jesus overrules the accusations of Satan.  He absolves you of all your guilt.  All these blessings Jesus delivers to you through word and sacraments.  This is why we continue to come to God’s house so we can receive all his benefits.  Jesus is the only refuge against the enemies of God’s kingdom.  The world might promise you treasure and glory, but they are momentary—if they come at all.  And none of them save.  Only Jesus does.  Jesus will deliver eternal pleasures and endless glories.  That is why he is the priceless treasure.

     Jesus’ parables speak about a man who gives up everything he has in order to attain the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of tremendous worth.  From this, you might conclude that you must give up everything in order to attain Jesus as your priceless treasure.  To be sure, there are some things that you have to give up if Jesus is to be your Lord and Savior.  We must give up our sins.  Forgiveness is not an excuse to return to our sins.  You’ve been set free from them.  Why would you run back to them?  You’ve been set apart for a high and holy purpose.  Why would anyone despise that? 

     Those who bear the name of Christ want to live like him.  So, just as we sing our fight songs against sin, death, and the devil, we also fight against sin and temptation which would seduce us away from the kingdom of God.  St. Paul encourages, “Let us live up to what we have already attained” (Philippians 3:16).  Of course, you and I discover that, as much as we want to forsake our sins, they continue to happen.  And that is why we continue to need Jesus.  We flee to him for refuge against the enemies.  We need Jesus’ constant mercy and forgiveness.  The good news is: Jesus continues to be our Savior and our refuge.  He is our priceless treasure whose value never decreases.

     We give up other things too, although it would be more accurate to say that our Lord takes them away from us.  Our Lord pours out many blessings upon us throughout life.  As time goes by, the Lord withdraws them.  He may take away your money and possessions—either by a bad economy or natural disaster.  As difficult as that might be, other losses cut more deeply.  You will likely lose your parents.  You will bid farewell to friends.  You may lose your health, your hearing, your balance, or your memory.  We thank God for these blessings while we have them, but none of them will endure.  So, if these blessings can be lost, it shows us that we should not put our trust in them.  This is why the Psalmist wrote, “Who else is there for me in heaven?  And besides you, I desire no one else on earth.  My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26).  As a treasure, only Jesus is priceless, and his word endures forever.

     In the end, the Lord withdraws everything from you until the last thing he takes from you is your breath.  In the end, the only thing you ever needed was Jesus; and he will not withdraw from you.  Jesus remains your priceless treasure.  His kingdom and his righteousness remain yours.  So, you do not really lose anything.  You will be reunited with all the faithful.  You will bask in the peace and glory of the Lord.  You will feast at the wedding banquet of the Lamb.  And your heavenly treasure will never perish, spoil, or fade.  This is why Jesus is your priceless treasure. 

     But if we consider this parable a little more closely, we will see that Jesus urges us to do the impossible.  He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again.  In his joy, he goes away and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).  Have you sold everything, as much as you have, to buy this priceless treasure?  “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls.  When he found one very valuable pearl, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46).  Again, have you sold everything, as much as you have, and buy this valuable pearl?  Can you?  You know full well that we do not buy our way into the kingdom of God.  God’s grace is not a commodity that can be bought and sold.  Grace is a gift that is given, not purchased.

     What’s more, the parable says a man seeks and finds the treasure.  For some, this makes perfect sense.  There are Christians who ask others, “Have you found Jesus?”  That suggests it is up to us to find the kingdom of God.  But that is not how the Bible speaks.  The lost sheep does not find its way back to the shepherd.  It is lost.  It is helpless.  The enemies—sin, death, and the devil—have the sheep marked as easy prey, and it cannot escape them.  The sheep does not need directions; it needs rescue.  So, the shepherd goes out and finds the sheep.  And when he finds the sheep, he puts it upon his shoulders and brings it back to the safety of the flock.  It is just as Jesus said, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).  It is our Lord who found you, rescued you, and brought you into his kingdom.  This is the work of one who saves, and there is no other Savior than Jesus. 

     So, let’s reconsider Jesus’ parables.  If Jesus is teaching about the kingdom of heaven, it is going to be about what the Lord is like and what the Lord does rather than about what you are like and what you do.  Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again.  In his joy, he goes away and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls.  When he found one very valuable pearl, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46). 

     Jesus is our priceless treasure, but he also teaches that you are his priceless treasure.  Jesus came into this world to redeem it.  If he redeems it, that means there is a cost.  The cost for Jesus to redeem you and all creation was his life.  In other words, Jesus gave up everything, as much as he had.  God the Son left the glories and majesty of heaven to enter a corrupt, dying world.  God the Son took upon himself our flesh, submitting to the weaknesses we all know.  He subjected himself to the temptations of the devil, although he resisted them all.  He humbled himself to endure the slander and scorn of his enemies.  He took the blows of fists and whips.  He allowed himself to be spit upon and stripped bare.  The Almighty suffered in weakness.  The God of glory died in shame.  All this he did to redeem and rescue you.

     This is how greatly our Lord has valued you.  It has been said that something is only worth as much as people are willing to pay for it.  I always found it amusing when people would bring their treasures to the Antiques Road Show, and the appraiser would inform these people, “Your item is exquisite.  Something like this would sell for $20,000 at an auction.”  I wonder, do they ever find someone who ponies up $20,000?  After all, if no one thinks it is worth $20,000, what good was that appraisal?

     Jesus is your priceless treasure, and you are his.  Consider the value that our Lord has assessed you at!  He has purchased and won you from all sin, from death, and the power of the devil—not with gold or silver, but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent sufferings and death.  Jesus gave up everything, as much as he had, to acquire you for eternity.  All this he did so that you could be his own and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.  You are the treasure which Jesus bought.  You are the pearl of great price.  You are worth the life of God the Son!  How dearly our Lord must love you! 

        Hence, all earthly treasure!
           Jesus is my pleasure;
              Jesus is my choice.
        Hence, all empty glory!
           Naught to me thy story
              Told with tempting voice.
        Pain or loss Or shame or cross
           Shall not from my Savior move me
              Since he deigns to love me (Jesus, Priceless Treasure, stanza 4).
     Jesus is our priceless treasure, and we are his, too.

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

Worship Notes: Children's Lessons

The children's lesson is a novelty within the Divine Service.  For almost the entirety of Christendom, the Church met without a children's lesson as part of the Divine Service.  

It should be noted that the Bible neither commands nor forbids children's lessons.  Although, proponents for children's lesson get close to accusing those who do not practice them as sinning against children.  They will cite the women bringing the children to Jesus for him to bless them, and especially Jesus rebuking the apostles for keeping them away.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14).  The women did not bring their children to Jesus during synagogue worship.  So, to equate this verse with a children's lesson is a bit misleading.  

But if anyone insists on equating Jesus' blessing the children with children's lessons, then perhaps we should consider the earlier part of this reading: "Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them" (Matthew 19:13).  Is everyone comfortable with the pastor laying his hands on the children?  In our modern climate, I fear legal charges could arise.

I have heard some people go so far as to say, "If a church does not have children's lessons, they don't care about the children."  That charge is pure manipulation.  It also condemns centuries of churches and pastors who never had them.  

I opt to not include children's lessons in the Divine Service.  There are a number of reasons for this.  In no particular order, they include:

1)  It segregates part of the congregation.

Having a portion of the service for just one segment of the congregation is divisive.  If there is a lesson tailored to children, what about the teens?  What about twenty-somethings?  What about those newly married or recently widowed?  Doesn't Jesus have a special message just for them?

The Divine Service is where the entire family of God joins together for worship, regardless of sex, age, marital status, and so forth.  All sing together, pray together, and listen together.  As the children grow older, they will gain more from the service.  And they probably are getting more out of the service than parents realize.

2)  There are already many children's lessons.

St. John's is blessed to have a Lutheran elementary school in which Bible History lessons are taught daily.  There are also weekly chapel services.  And there is Sunday School.  These lessons are already tailored to their age levels.

If the parents are eager for the children's lesson to take place, I offer this solution: The parents can talk to their children about the sermon at home.  This reinforces for the entire family the theme for the day, and it teaches the children that the parents consider the sermon and the service worthy of meditation beyond Sunday morning.

3)  The children's lesson is a distraction from the liturgy.

The children's lesson interrupts the flow of the service as the pastor waits for children to come down from all parts of the sanctuary and settle in.  After the lesson, the children return to their seats.  Depending upon how long the pastor takes to teach the lesson, it is a five-minute break from the liturgy.  If a children's lesson is necessary, it can be done outside of the liturgical order.  And it is (cf point #2).

4)  The children's lesson teaches the children that the rest of the service is not for them.

This is the most grievous lesson learned from having children's lessons.  The children are summoned for a portion of the service which is "just for them."  If that part is for them, by implication the rest is not.  Why pay attention to the sermon when they already got their part done?  

Sadly, adults have also remarked that they get more out of the children's lesson than they do the sermon.  I suppose this is to be understood as an endorsement of the children's lesson.  I would consider it an indictment, either of the pastor delivering a poor, incoherent sermon or of the listener not wanting to put in the effort of intentional listening.  Sesame Street is easier to comprehend than 60 Minutes, but I hope adults would recognize that 60 Minutes has more substantive content.

5)  The children's lesson is a time for amusement.

Another appeal for the children's lesson is the response that comes from children when questions are asked of them.  After all, Kids Say the Darndest Things.  Everyone looks forward to a chuckle.  But if we come to church looking for a chuckle, we have missed the point of the Divine Service.  The entire Divine Service is a time when we stand in the presence of our Lord.  This is holy ground.  Whenever people encountered our Lord in the Bible, no one was yucking it up.  So, this levity is out of place for sinners yearning for God's mercy.  There is a time and place for amusement.  The Divine Service is not it. 

Every practice in the Divine Service deserves to be evaluated.  Some practices demonstrate reverence and avoid frivolity.  Other practices detract from the sense of awe and glory that is worthy of our Lord.  Not all practices are in the best interest of teaching the Christian faith, even if they are not strictly forbidden.

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.

A Pastoral Concern about going to church

Go To Church Every Week? Why?

The only valid reason for missing church is because of poor health. If you think saying so is provocative and unrealistic, perhaps you fail to see the benefits of the Divine Service.

Go to church every week? Why?
          It is NOT to make God happy. God is happy with you because you belong to Christ and are redeemed by his sacrificial life and death. Your works cannot improve that status at all.
          It is NOT to just obey the Third Commandment. It is true: We should not despise preaching and his word. But if going to church is only about keeping the Third Commandment, your reason for going is to jump through a hoop to appease God. Your motive, then, is corrupt. Your worship will not please God.
          It is NOT so that others will see you and, thus, think well of you. This would make you a hypocrite—looking pious on the outside but being far from God in your heart. While others might be impressed with your attendance, God would know better. He despises hypocrites.

Go to church every week? Why?
          We come as beggars—poor, needy, and destitute. We come with our sins. We come bearing guilt. We come cloaked in shame. We come with struggles, frustrations, angst, unrest, and fears. We come because God offers relief from all of these things. We come as beggars, and God fills us with heavenly riches.

Go to church every week? Why?
          Because every week, we suffer trials and temptations.
          Because every week, Satan seeks to deceive and destroy us.
          Because every week, false teachers and false teachings try to seduce us.

Go to church every week? Why?
          Because others sin against us.
          Because we sin against others.
          Because we live in a world that is evil.
          Because we face disease and sickness; disappointment and disaster; sorrow and stress; decay and death.
          Because we are weak and frail.

Go to church every week? Why?
          Because we are sinners, and we can’t fix it.
          Because we face judgment, and we can’t avoid it.
          Because we are dying, and we can’t stop it.
          Because our only hope to be delivered from our wretched condition comes while we are still alive.

Go to church every week? Why?
          Because Jesus forgives sinners.
          Because the Lord’s forgiveness comes through the gospel rightly preached and the sacraments rightly administered.
          Because we desire to be saved, to partake in the resurrection of the dead, and to be judged worthy of eternal life through faith in Jesus. 

             Because faith will only remain alive if it is fed by word and sacrament.

Go to church every week? Why?
          Because our Father desires to bless us since we are his dearly loved children.
          Because Jesus Christ delivers pardon for our sins, relief from our guilt, and hope despite our shame.
          Because the Holy Spirit pours upon us encouragement, strength, and peace.

Go to church every week? Why?
          Because the sheep listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd.
          Because the Bride of Christ loves to hear her Groom proclaim his constant love and devotion to her.
          Because the children are eager to be heard by their good and merciful Father in heaven.
          Because by their actions, God's people confess what they regard as their comfort, their hope, the foundation and the goal of their life.

Go to church every week? Why?
          Because God’s promises are declared in the lessons.
          Because God’s grace is given in the Absolution.
          Because God’s mercy is applied in the preaching of the sermon.
          Because the body and blood of Christ are administered to us in Holy Communion for our salvation.
          Because God puts his name on us and blesses us in the Benediction.

Go to church every week? Why?
          Because God gives his greatest blessings there. What week don’t we want these? What week don’t we need these? Our joy and comfort are this: Every week, without fail, God gives these. Every week, God serves us— for our benefit, for our comfort, and for our salvation.

NOTE: If you work on Sunday mornings and cannot change your schedule, speak to your pastor about alternative dates, times, or ways to be served. If you need a ride, let your pastor know so that he can arrange one for you. If you are not aware of a WELS/ELS church where you are living, contact your previous pastor or go to www.wels.net to use the church locator to find one.

Sermon -- 8th Sunday after Pentecost (July 19, 2026)

GOD’S WORD IS ALWAYS EFFECTIVE.

ISAIAH 55:10-11

In the name + of Jesus.

     God’s word is always effective.  We recognize this especially in connection with God’s creation.  When God created the heavens and the earth, everything appeared at God’s command.  On Day One, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).  On Day Four, “God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night, and let them serve as markers to indicate seasons, days, and years.’  … and it was so” (Genesis 1:14-15).  It was so because God said so.  God’s word is always effective.

     God’s word continues to sustain the universe.  Upon creating the birds and the water creatures, “God blessed them when he said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.  Fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth’” (Genesis 1:22).  That word did not apply only to the initial birds and fish God created.  God’s blessing continues so that birds continue to hatch eggs and so that fish continue to spawn.  The same blessing was given to the man and the woman.  It is why people have a natural drive to produce the next generation of people.  Of course, God’s design is for that to take place within the bonds of marriage.  We are not animals.  God has a higher purpose for us than that.

     God’s word also enforces the universe to continue as God commands.  After Noah left the ark, God gave this promise: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).  God’s word affects every aspect of his creation.  Jesus taught us, “Not one [sparrow] will fall to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father” (Matthew 10:29).  God’s word is always effective.  He determines the rise and fall of nations.  He commands the wind and the waves.  He determined your birthday, your parents, and your hometown.  God’s word is always effective.

     Our Lord, however, desires to have a more intimate relationship with people.  You are not impersonal seasons or stars which move at God’s command.  You are more than sparrows which God feeds and sustains as long as he wills.  God created mankind to have a special relationship with him.  Birds, badgers, and beavers do not build cathedrals.  The wind and the waves do not offer up prayers, and the planets do not confess the Creed.  God created people to know him and to be in communion with him. 

     You are God’s special creation.  You were put on this earth to receive God’s blessings and to respond to God’s love with willing obedience.  In order for you to know the blessings God gives, God has to make them known.  In order for you to know how God wants you to honor and obey him, God has to make that known too.  God does this by speaking to you in the Scriptures.  God deals with mankind with words.  And God’s word is always effective.

     Through Isaiah, God explained how he works through his word: “Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return there unless they first water the earth, make it give birth, and cause it to sprout, so that it gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, in the same way my word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty.  Rather, it will accomplish whatever I please, and it will succeed in the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11). 

     God commands the rains to come down and the snow to cover the mountains.  The snow melts and fills the rivers.  The rain saturates fields, orchards, and gardens so that they produce fruits, grains, and vegetables.  At God’s command, the earth produces food to nourish us and sustain us.  In the same way, God’s word goes out to create and sustain faith in people.  As long as you are hearing his word, the Holy Spirit is working to sustain and strengthen your place in the kingdom of God.  By contrast, when God withholds the rain, the land becomes dry and barren.  So also, faith withers and may even perish when we are not hearing it.  This is our own fault.  The fault is not with God or his word.  God’s word is always effective, but it must be heard if it will have its effect.

     God’s word is always effective, but understand that this does not mean God’s word is always well-received.  The Bible reminds us, “The mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot” (Romans 8:7).  The sinful heart resists God’s word.  Our sinful hearts despise God’s word when he commands us to do what is hard, costly, or inconvenient.  When someone sins against you, which is your desire—to forgive freely or to plot revenge?  To speak well of him or to slander him by telling others what he did to you?  It does not matter to you that you know what God wants.  The sinful heart does not want to do it.  In Jesus’ parable, the problem was never with the seed.  It was with the hardened path.  It was faith choked out by worldly cares or scorched by hardship.  Take care that your sinful heart does not rule over you. 

     If the sinful heart continues to resist God’s word, it will eventually harden itself into unbelief.  Consider Pharaoh.  Moses was sent by God to speak to Pharaoh.  No doubt, Moses told Pharaoh about the Lord, about the promise the Lord had made to the people of Israel, and about the Savior who would eventually come through them.  Based on God’s promises and the special status of the nation of Israel, Moses implored Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go.  “Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the LORD that I should listen to his voice and let Israel go?  I do not know the LORD, and I certainly will not let Israel go’” (Exodus 5:2).    

     Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart against God’s word.  The more Pharaoh heard God’s word, the more hardened his heart became.  God’s word is always effective.  Sometimes the effect God’s word has is that it makes sinners become more resistant, hostile, or even violent.  Eventually, God let Pharaoh have his way.  His condemnation was deserved.

     This is a warning for you.  Psalm 95 urges you to not repeat the errors of God’s people from the past.  “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as they did at Meribah, as they did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your fathers challenged me and tested me though they had seen what I had done.  For forty years I was disgusted with that generation, and I said, ‘They are a people who have hearts that stray.  They do not acknowledge my ways.’  So I swore in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my resting place’” (Psalm 95:7-11).  They had God’s word, but they would not listen.  As a result, they forfeited God’s grace.  Once again, God’s word was effective in sentencing and condemning those who would not repent. 

     Of course, that is not the effect God wants to have on sinners.  What does God tell us his desire is?  “God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).  The truth is the word which God speaks to us in the Scriptures.  The truth is that he is our good and merciful Father in heaven who does not take delight in the death and damnation of anyone.  The truth is that God’s promises are gracious and his commands are good.  The Lord is a Savior God, and everything he says and does is to serve our good both now and into eternity. 

     God knows our nature and that we are sinners.  But rather than despise us and dispose of us, he has acted to set us free from the bondage of our sin and from the curse of death.  As soon as a Savior was needed back in the Garden of Eden, God promised one.  Despite man’s continual rebellion, the Lord never withdrew the promise of a Savior.  Even if people are not faithful to him, the Lord remains faithful to his promises.  And God’s word is always effective.  Even though many harden their hearts against God’s word, that word still produces people who delight in God’s promises and are eager to follow God’s commands.

     True to his word, God the Father sent his Son to rescue you from your sin.  Jesus Christ fulfilled all that God said he would.  Jesus was fully obedient to God’s word, gladly doing all that his Father commanded him to do.  That included exchanging his holy life for your sin.  It did not matter to Jesus that his sufferings and death would be hard and costly and inconvenient; Jesus went to the cross to lay down his life to ransom sinners.  Jesus poured out his lifeblood to atone for those who are grieved by their sins, for those who still struggle to do what is good and right and want to do better, for those who are ambivalent to God’s word, and even for those who despise God’s word.  Jesus took up the sins of everyone. Those who harden their hearts to God’s words of salvation forfeit the blessings Jesus won for them.  God desires their salvation, but he will not force himself upon anyone.  Just as God let stubborn Pharaoh go his own way, so he will let those who love their sins keep them.  But God’s word will be effective upon them.  It will justly condemn them for their stubborn unbelief.

     But for you, God’s word has a different effect.  Through his word, God absolves you of all guilt.  The Lord covers your shame with Christ’s righteousness.  The Lord enables you to take up your cross and endure whatever hardships are laid upon you.  The Lord sustains you through this life and will bring you into everlasting glory. 

     God’s word is always effective.  Through it, the Holy Spirit works in you both to desire and to do what God commands.  The Lord corrects you when you are misguided, deceived, or defiant.  He convinces you that his commands are not burdensome.  The Holy Spirit guides you by his word so that you are spared from suffering many griefs.  Instead, he produces in you a blessed life which honors God and benefits your fellowman. 

     On the Last Day, God’s word will again prove itself to be effective.  The Lord Jesus will give the command, and every grave will give up its dead.  And no matter what anyone ever thought of you or said about you, the only word that will matter is what Jesus says.  To all who believed in him, he will give this word: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).  He whose word released you from sin will, by his word, restore you to life and raise you up to eternal glory.  This is God’s promise, and his word is always effective.

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

Worship Notes: Repetition is the Mother of Learning

Repetitio est mater studiorum (because Latin is fun!).  Repetition is the mother of learning.

The pattern of worship at St. John's has been a succession of rotating liturgies.  Sundays usually did not have liturgies repeat from week to week.  While some may appreciate the variety, it does have its drawbacks.

One change you will notice is that we will be locked in on The Common Service for many weeks to come.  The main reason is so that people learn the parts of the liturgy and memorize them.  This is especially important for people who are younger or new to the Lutheran confession.

If someone is learning to dance, he spends his time focused on his feet.  "Where does my left foot go next?  How does my right foot move?"  He does not even enjoy dancing because he is just trying to learn how to do it.  Eventually, after repetition, he no longer stumbles his way through his footing.  He actually gets to enjoy the movement of the dance.

With the liturgy repeating itself week after week, we become exceptionally familiar with the confession of sins, with the canticles, with the Apostles' or Nicene Creeds, etc...   Eventually, most will not even need to refer to a hymnal or a screen.  We can just dance through the liturgy.

For some, repetition is boring.  It is argued, "Doing the same thing over and over again will cause me to speak the liturgy mindlessly."  Perhaps.  I contend that the fault will not be with the liturgy, but with our sinful nature which always needs to be entertained.  After a while, we get bored with everything.

But consider the benefit of repetition.  Repetition leads to memorization.  As people get older, they may lose their eyesight.  But they can still participate because they remember the liturgy.  Young children can learn the canticles even before they learn to read.  This can only happen if the same liturgy is done week after week.  

Does this mean we forfeit variety?  No.  Each week, we have different hymns, different prayers, different Psalms, different readings, and a different sermon.  The Psalm can also be sung in different ways.  The choir can add anthems.  Other instruments can enhance our worship.  There is much variety that can be incorporated while still repeating the structure of the liturgy.

Repetition is the mother of learning.  What we are repeating in our liturgy reinforces what we confess and believe to be true.  That thought will be explored at a later date.

Worship Notes: Why do we do what we do?

When I was a youth, I was curious why we followed the liturgical order we did.  Why not explore other ways to worship?  I never did ask my pastor that question, fearful that even asking was disrespectful.  It was not disrespectful.  It was a good question which deserved a thoughtful answer.  I wish I had asked it.  It was a lost opportunity to gain appreciation about why we worship the way we do.

While that topic could inspire many, long paragraphs (and will likely be a Bible Class topic down the road), this blog post will simply encourage people to ask why we do what we do.

The Church does not have secrets.  Everything should have a clear explanation, an answer to the question: "Why?"  Everything we do in worship--from rites (things spoken) to ceremonies (things practiced)--is done to reinforce the faith and to teach God's people. 

Are there ways to teach the faith that are better than others?  Absolutely.  Sometimes it is a matter of right vs. wrong (such as the Roman Catholic sacrifice of the Mass or an altar call); other times it is a matter of good vs. better.  For example, we would rather have our hymns let by a pipe organ than a kazoo.

If there are better ways to conduct a Divine Service which emphasize the reverence, glory, and mercies of God, we should pursue them--not because we are disposing of what is wicked, but because we can opt for what teaches the faith better.

Not everyone will think every idea is great.  Some may resist any changes at all.  We can become slaves to the "We've always done it that way" mentality.  While it may be true that we've always done something a certain way, there should be a good reason we've always done it that way.  If that reason proves to be a good reason, we can retain what we've done.  If there are better reasons to do something different, we can introduce something different as long as it teaches and reinforces the true, Christian faith.  That is always the goal.

Being skeptical of change is natural.  We like what we know.  We prefer what we are comfortable with.  That is not necessarily bad.  Thrusting something new and revolutionary into the Divine Service should be met with skepticism.  Nothing should be foisted upon a congregation.  People need to be instructed about why we are doing what we are doing so that they can be confident that they are not being led astray and so they can appreciate a more vivid exposition of God's glory.

So, why do we do what we do?  You deserve a better answer than, "We've always done it that way."  And you certainly should not be afraid to ask for an answer.  If you don't know what the point is, ask!  If you want to know why the pastor does what he does, ask!  If you are curious about the reasoning behind some practice, ask!  

The way a pastor presides over a Divine Service is first to the glory of God and then for the edification of God's people.  The pastor should have a solid reason for whatever he does, and God's people should know it, too.