YouTube -- Festival of St. Thomas, Apostle (December 21, 2025)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, December 21, 2025.

Sermon -- Festival of St. Thomas, Apostle (December 21, 2025)

FAITH BELIEVES WITH THE EARS, NOT THE EYES.

JOHN 20:24-29 

In the name + of Jesus.

    Joseph, the guardian of our Lord, was a man of great faith.  When he learned that his betrothed, Mary, was pregnant, he decided to terminate their relationship.  He had no desire to publicly shame her or to demand any kind of punishment for her, but neither did he want to become her husband.  Perhaps she loved another, and her pregnancy was the result of that.  If so, let her go to the one she loves.  I don’t think anyone would blame Joseph for his conclusions. 

     But then the Lord intervened.  God sent his angel to Joseph in a dream to inform him what was really going on—something Joseph would have never known or even guessed if left to his own devices.  The Lord revealed to Joseph, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).  Experience taught him that the angel’s words were nonsense.  Joseph knows how women become mommies.  But Joseph believed the word of the Lord.  Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.

     Fast forward thirty-three years.  Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  The eyes were not fooled by these events.  His back was ripped open by the scourging of Pilate’s soldiers.  His wrists and feet were nailed to wooden beams.  He breathed his last and then was pierced with a spear for good measure.  The Romans, utterly successful at death by crucifixion, maintained their sterling record.  Pilate had that confirmed before he granted Joseph of Arimathea permission to take Jesus’ body.  The lifeless body of Jesus was wrapped in cloth and sealed in a tomb.  The death of Jesus of Nazareth was undeniable, publicly witnessed by disciples, soldiers, Pharisees, priests, and passers-by.

     Jesus’ apostles were devastated.  They were scared.  They were also wallowing in guilt for having abandoned their Lord in his most crucial hours.  Even though Jesus had told them explicitly three times that he would rise from the dead on the third day, they did not expect that they would see him again. 

     “On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews.  Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.  So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (John 20:19-20).  They were overjoyed to see Jesus.  Even more, they were overjoyed that Jesus did not come to pass judgment on them.  He did not bear a grudge because he had to endure torment for their sins.  He declared peace.  All was forgiven—not just their failure to remain by him, but all.  All is forgiven—for you, too.

     The apostle Thomas was not there to hear it.  No doubt, he was consumed by the same fears, despair, and guilt that his fellow apostles had experienced.  Ten apostles had been relieved of their guilt, but not Thomas.  He was still scared, still sorrowful, still devastated.  His fellow apostles were eager to pull him out of it.  “The other disciples kept telling him, ‘We have seen the Lord’” (John 20:25)! 

     It is hard to know why Thomas did not consider the persistent testimony of his fellow apostles reliable.  Thomas demanded proof.  Surely, his experience would not deceive him.  His friends?  Maybe.  But not his own senses.  He would not believe words.  For this, he has been given the name “Doubting Thomas.”  Today, it is applied to people as a rebuke or an insult.  I am surprised that Thomas has not become a hero for skeptics.  Thomas would only believe what he could see with his eyes; he would not accept what he heard with his ears.  He is not unique.

     We constantly seek proof of God’s love and care, but we dictate how that love and care should be proved.  It should be by the end of war and strife.  It should be by the end of sickness and disease.  It should be by crime-free streets and drug-free communities.  It should be by families that are no longer fractured or fighting.  It should be by a robust economy where luxuries are common and all the bills are paid.  It should be by winning the Power Ball lottery.  I suppose you have your own criteria for what would prove that God loves you and cares for you.  If any of our criteria is not met, we may doubt that God loves us or that God is even real.  To paraphrase Thomas, “Unless I see the blessings in my life and in this world, I will not believe.” 

     Repent!  For, the Creator is not answerable to what he has created.  The one who grants life does not take orders from those who live because of him.  Nor is the evil in the world proof that God does not love or care for us.  The holy God is not the author of evil that men do.  God does not sponsor mass shooters.  God does not approve of the murder of babies in their mothers’ wombs.  God does not commission drunk drivers or encourage political violence.  These are the evil acts of sinners.  What you see and what you experience tells you more about this sin-fallen world than it tells you about God.

     The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “Faith is being sure about what we hope for, being convinced about things we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).  That does not mean Christians live in the land of make believe.  And it does not mean that Christians are so gullible as to believe anything.  Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  God declares what is true.  God’s people take those words to heart.  We believe what our Lord tells us, even if our senses suggest something else.  The Bible is full of promises that seemed impossible but were fulfilled by our Lord, nonetheless.  When God says so, it is so.  Just because we don’t see the Lord’s goodness does not mean that the Lord is no longer good.  You don’t see the sun at night, either, but it still shines.

     Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  That was not enough for Thomas.  The words of the prophets were not enough for him.  Jesus’ words were not enough for him.  The eyewitness testimony of Thomas’ colleagues was not enough for him.  Thomas demanded more: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25).

     Jesus did not owe Thomas a special revelation.  In fact, Jesus could have remained hidden from Thomas and let that be an act of judgment upon him.  Instead, Jesus graciously appeared to Thomas and said, “Put your finger here and look at my hands.  Take your hand and put it into my side.  Do not continue to doubt, but believe” (John 20:27).  His wounds were proof of his death.  His body was proof of his resurrection.  His words were proof of his mercy.  For, when Jesus appeared to his disciples again, he declared, “Peace be with you” (John 20:26).  He could have turned to Thomas and said, “Well, not with you,” but he did not.  He spoke to him with tender mercy.  He bestowed his peace, even to Doubting Thomas.

     Jesus has mercy on those with questions, with skepticism, and with doubts.  But he does not address these questions with dazzling displays of power.  When our Lord did display miracles in the past, it did not prevent people from dishonoring and disobeying his word.  Rather than proving himself with what we see with our eyes, our Lord consoles us with words for our ears.  God’s goodness is revealed in promises which are fulfilled.  God’s mercy is proclaimed to console troubled hearts and minds.  Faith believes with the ears, not with the eyes. 

     Our Lord Jesus Christ entered our world at a time when there were not cameras to log video footage.  While some consider that a negative, it shows the wisdom of God.  Videos on YouTube, TikTok, or other media platforms are mostly staged.  Increasingly, videos are becoming AI, so you can’t be sure what is real.

     In his wisdom, the Father sent his Son into the world when we were forced to rely on eyewitness accounts and records passed down to us in writing.  The Bible is overwhelming reliable with these accounts and records.  The Bible is far better attested than any other piece of ancient literature, and it’s not close.  We have more testimony about Jesus than we do about Confucious, Socrates, or Nebuchadnezzar.  It is not living in the land of make believe to trust the words and works of Jesus.  It was all done in public.  It has been recorded, preserved in copies, and proclaimed around the world.  The apostles, even under torture and sentenced to death, never changed their testimony.

     Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  Jesus had invited Thomas to touch the nail marks and to inspect his wounds.  St. John does not record if he did or not.  St. John did record Thomas’ confession, declaring Jesus to be God and Lord.  Tradition tells us that Thomas did not continue in his skepticism.  Instead, he preached about the Savior who paid for the sins of all, even for skeptics like him.  He travelled as far as India to preach about the Savior who died for sinners and who rose from the dead.  The way to heaven is not by the Ganges River, but by faith in Jesus.  Thomas testified to the wounds that bore witness to God’s love.  And for that, Thomas himself received wounds that killed him.  In the end, Thomas willingly died for the faith.  He did not die as a skeptic, but as a faithful witness who was sustained and saved by the word of the Lord.  The living Savior is greater than a dying world. 

     Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  What you see and experience in this world may be heart-breaking, frightening, or infuriating.  But God’s love and care—and certainly his salvation—are not determined by what you see with your eyes.  His love and care, his mercy and forgiveness, are made known in words.  In that word, he reveals how he left the glories of heaven to come to this sin-riddled world.  In that word, he reveals how he did the work to deliver you from all of life’s pains and sorrows, and that he will bring you to the glories of heaven.  In that word, he soothes your troubled hearts with words of peace and forgiveness.  This world is deceptive.  God does not lie.  When God says so, it is so. 

     Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  But faith in his word always results in seeing his glory with the eyes.  Joseph saw it in Mary’s child.  Thomas saw it in the wounds of Jesus’ risen body.  And you will see it in the resurrection to life everlasting.  He who has ears, let him hear.

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

Minor Festival -- Festival of St. Thomas

            Lutheran worship is liturgical.  While that often refers to an order of worship, it can also refer to the calendar of the Church Year.  The Church Year includes major festivals, such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, etc...  On Sunday, December 21, we will recognize a minor festival, the Festival of St. Thomas, Apostle.

            If we know Thomas for anything, it is his doubting of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  Thomas, also called Didymus, demanded visible proof that Jesus was risen.  Though Jesus did not owe him such proof (the words of the prophets and apostles should have been enough), Jesus lovingly appeared to Thomas to give the proof Thomas yearned for.  Earlier, Thomas had also demonstrated an unconditional loyalty to Jesus.  When Jesus had announced his intentions to go to Judea despite threats on Jesus’ life, Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:16) Tradition says that Thomas preached and built a church in India where he was martyred with a spear.

Sermon -- Festival of St. Andrew, Apostle (November 30, 2025)

JOHN 1:35-42

ST. ANDREW: A DISCIPLE WHO FOUND WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR.

In the name + of Jesus.

    During the Advent season, we prepare for the coming of our Lord.  That could refer to Christmas, which has a definite deadline.  It could also refer to Jesus’ return on the Last Day.  It, too, has a definite deadline, but that is known only by our Lord.  The Old Testament believers had an Advent season, as it were.  Since Adam and Eve had been expelled from the Garden of Eden, God’s people had been waiting for the Messiah who would open the way back.  The centuries went by.  God’s people waited, hoping to find what they were looking for.  They waited; for, there was no specific deadline.  They looked, but they never found the fulfillment. 

     Among those who were waiting and looking was Andrew, son of John.  He was from Bethsaida in the far north of Galilee.  Andrew knew the promises and had taken them to heart.  He was one of the two disciples who were with John the Baptist, as St. John described it: “The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples.  When John saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look!  The Lamb of God’” (John 1:35-36)!

     John the Baptist preached along the Jordan River in Judea.  If Andrew was from far north Galilee, how did he become a disciple of John the Baptist?  I offer this as a reasonable guess.  Since Andrew was a faithful Jew, he would have regularly attended the festivals in Jerusalem.  No doubt, he would have encountered John the Baptist on his way to and from Jerusalem.  The people regarded John as a prophet, as he called the people to repent and prepared the way of the Lord.  Since Andrew was looking for the Messiah to come, John’s message would have resonated with Andrew.

     Andrew found what he was looking for.  He found a prophet, the likes of which Israel had not seen for four hundred years.  Andrew not only took his words to heart, he also would have been baptized by John.  And rather than return immediately to Galilee, he would have remained to listen to John’s preaching.  After all, he became one of John’s disciples.

     Soon, Andrew truly found what he had been looking for.  “The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples.  When John saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look!  The Lamb of God!’  The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:35-37).  Apparently, Jesus had made his way down to Judea from Galilee, too.  It was likely for a religious festival.  The way John the Baptist identified Jesus suggests that it was the time of the Passover.

     In their Passover celebrations, each Jewish family would have slaughtered a lamb to roast for their celebratory meal.  It commemorated the slaughter of the lambs back in Egypt on the night when the angel passed over the homes there.  The Egyptians had oppressed, enslaved, and endangered the future of the people of Israel.  To endanger the future of the nation was to endanger the promise of the Messiah.  That was a promise that was never to be threatened.  So, the Lord sent his angel to put the firstborn of every home to death that night.  The Israelites, however, were to take the blood of the lamb and smear it on the doorposts of their homes.  When the angel saw the blood of the lamb, he would pass over those homes.

     This was commemorated annually.  It was a reminder how God preserved his people.  It was a reminder that God preserves his promise.  This commemoration was repeated so that future generations would never forget the Lord’s deliverance.  They were reminded that a lamb was slain in place of God’s people.  They feasted on the lamb which gave its life for theirs.  They remembered that the blood of the lamb delivered them from death and prepared the way to deliverance from their enemies.

     Now, if they had just celebrated the Passover, imagine the fireworks going off in the mind of Andrew when John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and declared, “Look!  The Lamb of God” (John 1:36)!  Andrew was a disciple who found what he was looking for.  Here is the Lord’s Christ!  Here is the one who would be slain in place of his people.  Here is the one whose blood would be shed to deliver his people from death.  Here is the one who would open the way back into Paradise.  For centuries, God’s people had been looking for the Messiah.  Now Andrew found him.

     “The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.  When Jesus turned around and saw them following him, he asked, ‘What are you looking for?’  They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’  He told them, ‘Come, and you will see.’  So they came and saw where he was staying. They stayed with him that day” (John 1:37-39).  When Jesus asked John’s two disciples what they were looking for, I suppose they could have answered, “You!”  Instead, they wanted to be with Jesus and listen to him.  It is not enough to just have knowledge about Jesus.  Disciples listen to their teacher.  God’s people pay attention to his words.  They found what they were looking for and they wanted to keep it.  So, they stayed with him that day.

     Here is a disciple who found what he was looking for.  Andrew’s heart rejoiced that the long-awaited Messiah could be seen.  Perhaps Andrew was surprised when he and the other disciple asked, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” and Jesus did not evade them or regard them as an imposition.  Jesus welcomed them and spent the whole day with them.  Jesus was not too holy or too important for the likes of Andrew.  Yes, Andrew was a sinner, but Jesus had come for sinners.  This disciple found what he was looking for.

     It is no different for you.  But then, I guess it also matters what you are looking for.  If you want the Lamb of God to be cuddly, cute, and harmless, Jesus will be a disappointment for you.  For, the Lamb of God did not come to be snuggled.  He came to have the sins of the world laid upon him and to be slain for them.  So, if you are looking for the God who takes away your sins and who delivers you from the curse of death, then you will find what you are looking for in Jesus.  If you are looking for a God who guides you in paths of righteousness, then you will find what you are looking for in Jesus.  If you are looking for the God who teaches you to not crave life in this world but to yearn for life in the heavenly kingdom, then you will find what you are looking for in Jesus.  This is the Lamb of God who was slain for sinners.  And now sinners get to feast on his body and blood to be delivered from death.  If this is what you are looking for, you find it in Jesus.

     Andrew not only became a disciple who found what he was looking for, he also found others who were looking for the same thing.  “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.  The first thing Andrew did was to find his own brother Simon and say to him, ‘We have found the Messiah!’ (which is translated ‘the Christ’).  He brought him to Jesus” (John 1:40-42).  Andrew knew he was not alone in his longing for the Messiah.  We would be impressed to hear that Andrew immediately went all over Galilee to tell others about Jesus, but he didn’t.  Instead, Andrew went home.  There, he found a brother who also looked for the Messiah.  Just as John the Baptist directed Andrew to Jesus, Andrew directed Simon to Jesus.  And just as Andrew had spent the day with Jesus to become convinced that Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah he was looking for, Andrew had Simon do the same.  “He brought him to Jesus” (John 1:42).

     This is what the Church has always done.  We could go knocking on doors to invite people to church.  We could stand outside Twelve Oaks Mall with a megaphone to confront the shoppers with their sins and call them to repent.  We could all get on a plane and visit some distant land to dedicate time and effort to a foreign mission field.  We could do any of that.  Or we could do what the Church has always done, and what Andrew did: We could bring our own family and friends to Jesus.  We can encourage children who have been consumed with their schedules to return to God’s house.  We can talk to friends who are fearful of the future or who are plagued by unanswered questions.  We can bring them to hear the words of Jesus so that they can find the relief and the hope that they are looking for.  Many look for relief and hope in places that will only end in death.  You know the Messiah who came to deliver you from death and to grant a life of peace here and a life of glory to come.  This is what many people are looking for.  They will only find it in Jesus.  Like Andrew, you can bring them to him.

     About three years after John the Baptist pointed Andrew to the Lamb of God, Andrew pointed some others to Jesus.  In this case, it was not Jews who were looking for the Messiah.  It was outsiders.  St. John wrote, “Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival.  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we want to see Jesus.’  Philip went to tell Andrew.  Andrew came with Philip and told Jesus” (John 12:20-22).  Andrew did not tell others what they should believe.  He brought them to Jesus so that his words would be heard.  Jesus’ words would grant them peace and hope.  Jesus’ words would give them what they were looking for.  That’s how it always works in the kingdom of God.  Jesus uses his people to bring others to him.  And if a crude fisherman from the backwoods territory of Galilee can do it, so can you.

     We don’t know what happened to Andrew after Jesus ascended to heaven.  Traditions don’t help much, either.  Different traditions have Andrew travelling in different directions.  The one tradition that is consistent is that Andrew died on an X-shaped cross for preaching the good news he found in Jesus.  If Andrew had been looking for glory or fame or riches in this world, he did not find it.  But that is not what he was looking for.  He was looking for the Lamb of God who would be slain for his sin and whose blood would deliver him from death.  He was looking for the one who would open the way back into Paradise.  He found it in Jesus.  That is where you have found it.  And it is the only place it can be found.

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

Minor Festival -- Festival of St. Andrew, Apostle

           Lutheran worship is liturgical.  While that often refers to an order of worship, it can also refer to the calendar of the Church Year.  The Church Year includes major festivals, such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, etc...  On Sunday, November 30, we will recognize a minor festival, the Festival of St. Andrew, Apostle.

            St. Andrew (together with St. John) was the first of the twelve who would become apostles to follow Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  The first thing Andrew did was to bring his brother, Simon Peter, to the Messiah.  Ironically, it was not Andrew, but Peter, who became a more prominent apostle.  Little is told of Andrew in the gospels, and almost nothing in Acts.  Tradition says that Andrew preached the gospel in Asia Minor and Greece, and that he was martyred in Achaia, being nailed to an “X” shaped cross for three days.  May we, like Andrew, be eager to bring people to Jesus.

Sermon -- Festival of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (September 21, 2025)

MATTHEW 9:9-13

JESUS SINNERS DOES RECEIVE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Church tradition suggests that St. Matthew served as a pastor in Ethiopia where he was put to death by the king, presumably by a spear.  What was it that moved St. Matthew to preach the word of God so faithfully despite the threat on his life that ended up being fulfilled in his martyrdom?  The short answer is: the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit worked in St. Matthew a firm faith and a courageous confession.  The Holy Spirit also worked through St. Matthew to record the words and works of Jesus Christ.  This makes St. Matthew an evangelist, one of the four Gospel writers.  He was also an apostle, one of twelve called by Jesus.  So, Matthew was an apostle and an evangelist, titles that were only held by him and St. John.

     Matthew’s devotion and courage were produced by the mercy he had been shown by Jesus.  Matthew had been a tax collector.  He had sold himself out to the Roman government to collect taxes and revenue for pagans.  Tax collectors were known for overcharging their fellow Jews to gain wealth for themselves.  It was no secret that they did this, but there was little anyone could do about it.  The Romans did not care, and the people were powerless to prevent it.  Matthew was probably a rich man.  He certainly was despised.  Nevertheless, Jesus did not avoid Matthew as a crook or dismiss him as a lost cause; rather, Jesus called him to a new life.  Jesus saw “Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s booth.  He said to him, ‘Follow me.’  Matthew got up and followed him” (Matthew 9:9).  Matthew was living proof: Jesus sinners does receive.

    In response to God’s mercy, Matthew held a banquet and invited others to hear Jesus.  This resulted in Jesus associating with some unsavory people.  When you hear the reading, you probably find it endearing.  If you had witnessed it, you might have found it repulsive.  Imagine being invited to an LGBTQ luncheon and seeing Jesus there at the head table.  What would you think?  Would you sit down to eat, too?  Would you talk with anyone?  Would you try to keep a low profile and hope that nobody recognized you?  Now, if you felt anything cringe-worthy about those questions, then you agree with the Pharisees who thought it was reprehensible that Jesus would sit with sinners and eat with them.

     Blame Matthew.  Matthew invited Jesus to his house along with his disciples.  He also invited his friends to this banquet so they could meet Jesus and hear him.  Since Matthew had been despised, it is no surprise that his circle of friends was limited to fellow tax collectors and other low-lifes.  Just as Jesus did not steer clear of Matthew, so he did not steer clear of Matthew’s banquet.  “As Jesus was reclining at the table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were actually there too, eating with Jesus and his disciples” (Matthew 9:10).  Why?  Jesus sinners does receive.

     It is interesting that the Pharisees did not talk to Jesus about why he was doing this.  Instead, they approached his disciples.  “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:11)?  It seems that the Pharisees were trying to drive a wedge between Jesus and his disciples.  By confronting the disciples, the Pharisees were forcing them to consider if that is what good people would do.  “What kind of rabbi are you following if this is the kind of company he keeps?”  Maybe they could explain it.  Maybe they would apologize for it.  Maybe they would separate themselves from Jesus and learn to keep polite company so that no one would think less of them.  Jesus sinners does receive, but some sinners are just plain gross, right?

     Jesus interrupted the conversation.  Rather than see how his disciples might answer, Jesus spoke for himself.  “Jesus said to them, ‘The healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.  … In fact, I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners’” (Matthew 9:12-13).  First, we recognize how Jesus referred to the people who were sitting with him.  They were sinners.  They were sick, corrupted in their minds, hearts, and lives.  Jesus was not there to celebrate their sins.   He was there to rescue from their sins and to tell them that there is hope for sinners.  Jesus proclaimed the same mercy to them as he had to Matthew.  Jesus sinners does receive.

     The Pharisees, on the other hand, would not know such mercy.  Jesus issued a subtle rebuke to the Pharisees.  When he said, “I did not come to call the righteous” (Matthew 9:13), Jesus was referring to the Pharisees.  They were convinced that they were righteous.  They would not sully themselves by mingling with the wrong company.  They kept themselves separate, as if that is what made them pure.  Since they considered themselves righteous, they felt they had the right to look down on others and judge them.  If they were righteous, they would not need mercy from Jesus.  And they would not get it either.  Jesus comes only for sinners.

     If you have enjoyed a place in the Christian Church your whole life long, you are greatly blessed.  You have had the benefit and comfort of knowing that the blood of Jesus purifies you of all unrighteousness, and that the mercy of our Lord endures even through days of pain and sorrow.  Even in the darkest of days, you have basked in the light of God’s love and faithfulness.  Imagine going through life with none of that!  You are truly blessed.  But if there is a danger in it, it is that you may conclude the people who live outside of the Christian Church are to be despised because they should know better, or at least avoided until they clean themselves up.  Repent. 

     We have some friends who went hiking in West Virginia some years ago.  They parked at the trailhead and marched off into the woods.  Suddenly, they were lost.  I mean lost for over 24 hours.  They spent the night in the elements with few supplies and no shelter.  Mercifully, they were found.  They went to a hospital for a wellness check and to have some wounds and scrapes tended to.  Sometime later, the son who lived there wanted to show them where they got lost.  It turns out they were very close to their car.  If they knew the way back, they would not have had such a terrifying experience.  But lost is lost. 

     It is the same for many sinners.  Some make wicked choices on purpose.  Some make foolish choices—a moment of weakness followed by long-term consequences, and they are hurting.  Some are just confused, wandering through life without purpose, without direction, and without hope.  But they are all lost.  They need rescue.  It is our Lord who goes to find them.  And he uses you to do it.  Granted, many will seem repulsive to you because their minds and lives are so opposed to God’s word.  But how can anyone be restored to God unless God summons them?  How can the sick become healthy unless they encounter the healing words of God?  How can sinners become righteous unless they are cleansed by the blood of Jesus?  This is why Matthew invited his friends to the banquet with Jesus.  He wanted them to know the same mercy he had received.  The Pharisees, on the other hand, thought it was good and wise and safe to stay insulated in their little circle.  In doing so, they extended mercy to no one. That’s why Jesus told them, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice’” (Matthew 9:13).

     The Lord calls us to show mercy, but he is the one who made the sacrifice to save people from the judgment they deserve.  Jesus did not treat people as their sins deserve.  Jesus, instead, suffered what sinners deserve.  Jesus received the blows, putting himself between God’s wrath and mankind.  Jesus is our refuge.  He is like a castle against which cannon balls are lobbed.  It is the castle which suffers the blows, but the people who take refuge inside of it are safe.  Outside of the castle is only danger and death.  But there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  In Christ, there is mercy, pardon, and peace. 

     This is why Matthew invited his friends to feast with Jesus.  The only way for anyone to receive Jesus’ mercy is if they hear about it.  That is why we, like St. Matthew, can be bold in telling others about it.  If anyone is going to be raised up from sinners to saint and from wickedness to righteousness, Jesus must do it.  He does not treat us as our sins deserve, but he does not leave us in our sins, either.  He declares us righteous, and he calls us to be righteous.  He restores the prostitutes to chastity.  He converts the foul-mouthed to those who speak better words.  He instructs the liars to be truthful, the self-centered to be generous, and those who prey on the weak to defend them.  Jesus sinners does receive and restore and rectify.  His mercy changes lives.  Jesus reveals the path of righteousness and guides people to a holy life as we look forward to a heavenly life. 

     You may not realize it, but Jesus still eats with sinners.  Sinners gather at the Lord’s altar to feast on the meal he has prepared for us.  He gives his body, slain for sinners, under the bread.  He gives his blood, shed to atone for sinners, under the wine.  He gives this sacred meal to sinners who long to have their sins forgiven, who are eager to have their faith strengthened, and who strive to amend their sinful lives and to live up to what God has called them to be.  Jesus sinners does receive, and feed, and strengthen.  He sets you apart for a more noble and virtuous life.

     Our Gospel reading ends abruptly.  We don’t know what happened to the guests St. Matthew had invited to his house.  Based on the rest of the Gospel, it appears that most Pharisees never did learn the lesson.  But what about the tax collectors and sinners?  It would be nice to think that they all repented and rejoiced in God’s mercy.  But people are people, so their reactions may have varied.  When Jesus noted that he had come for those who were sick, some may have hung their heads in shame and confessed, “Yeah, that’s me.”  Others may have sneered at Jesus and said, “I’m not sick.  My life is fine.”  Who knows?  Maybe Matthew was the only tax collector there who embraced the mercy of our Lord.

     The point is this: We don’t know who will rejoice in Jesus’ mercy, who will prefer to keep their sins, or who will continue to look down on others.  But we do know that all people need to hear about Jesus’ love and mercy.  So, like St. Matthew, we pray that God will give us a firm faith and make us courageous confessors of God’s word.   Like St. Matthew, let’s invite our friends to hear Jesus.  Even if someone’s past is despicable or diabolical, there is good news: Jesus sinners does receive.

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