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Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
Sunday of the Thankful Samaritan September 2, 2018 Saint Luke 17:11–19 Thankfulness Means Asking for More In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Where is the surprise in this incident in Jesus' life? 11On another occasion, as Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He was passing along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12When He entered a certain village, ten men with leprosy met Him. Standing at a distance, 13they called out loudly, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14When He saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they went away they were cleansed. 15One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. 16He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Jesus responded, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19Then He said to him, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has saved you.” (Luke 17:11–19 EHV) The surprise in this story isn't that Jesus heals these lepers. We know that Jesus is kind and we expect good things from Him. The surprise isn't that the other nine listened to Jesus and went to the priests in Jerusalem to be certified clean and restored to health (a process that took at least a week to finish). Jesus wasn't surprised; He knew exactly where they were. He also knew that at this time their praise was not to the living God. It's wise to assume that the nine praised Jesus at a great miracle worker—how could they not—but not as the divine Son of God. Otherwise, they would have returned to kneel down at His holy feet. The surprise is that the one who returned to praise the true God was brought up in a false religion that rejected the true God. The Samaritans rejected any Savior who comes from the Jews. Samaritans rejected worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, which meant they rejected what the Temple foreshadowed. The Temple was the place where God chose to be visibly present on earth, so we hear in the Old Testament: 2And the priests could not enter [the Temple] the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. 3When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 7:2–3 ESV) The Temple pointed ahead to a time when our good Lord would dwell on earth visibly in the flesh. The Temple pointed right at Jesus. The place where thousands of sacrifices had been offered pointed to the Savior Jesus who laid down His life once and for all. His life sacrificed on the cross heals us from the disease of our sin. This divine word of sacrifice that saves creates trust in our Savior. His word creates trust in Jesus in the most surprising places, like the thankful leper. And this trust creates true thanksgiving. In a few months we do our annual Thanksgiving. But mostly it'll be a search for feelings and looking inside ourselves to find our happy places: “I'm thankful for …” Our world and culture confuses thankfulness into a feeling we feel once in a while. Thankfulness is not a sentiment; it is an action. True thanksfulness means going back for more. You can text your grandpa THX [for the Legos] and/or you can play with the Lego and ask him for more. I hope you do both, but your grandpa going to know your thanks by your interest and desire for more Legos. Not asking for more like a brat screaming for candy, but as children asking for more delicious turkey, more savory broccoli, more sweet potatoes. Like baptized and saved children who are now wise, we ask for more, more of His Word, more of His Communion. Indeed another name for Holy Communion is the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving. Like the thankful Samaritan, we go back to Jesus, glorifying Him, and asking for more Him. 14Therefore, since we have a great high priest, who has gone through the heavens, namely, Jesus the Son of God, let us continue to hold on to our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. 16So let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV) In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God!
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 THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Sunday of the Good Samaritan August 26, 2018 LUKE 10:30–37 The Samaritan Who Saved Us In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. You would have stopped. If you saw a dying man on the side of the road, you would stop to help. And if you didn't know how to actually bind up his wounds, you'd call 911. Everyone already knows that they should help dying people on the side of the road. So why does Jesus tell us this story? Number one: remember that Jesus tells stories to show us His generosity and gracious love in action. In this story we are a lot of the people. We are the robbers—we just don't use guns or knives. We use our words to beat up our neighbors, the people in our lives. We beat up our parents because it is always easier to critize than to help. We beat up our church leaders because it is always easier to critize than to help. We beat up our spouse because it is always easier to critize than to help. Which words rolls easily off of our tongues? “I love you?” Or, “You always . . . ?” We are the priest and Levite who walk on by. We don't walk past car wrecks or broken bodies in the road. But we certainly move away from neighbors in need. At times this ignoring is motivated by malice and anger, other times laziness and indifference, and still other times by selfishness and frustration. We walk on by because we know that the neighbor in need will take time away from what we want to be doing. Their lives are messes and we don't know how to help, so we just don't go there. We walk on by because we have a grudge against them and need to show them that they are still wrong and we are still right. Often we walk on by our neighbors by going towards them, but slowly and grudgingly. Getting up with annoyance when a kid is crying in the night. Opening our wallets without cheer and thankfulness to support the work of the Church. Going to work with gloom because you think no one appreciates your work. And we are certainly the dying man, who is as good as dead. By ourselves we are dying on our way to the grave because we are filled with sin. And our sin is killing us and it is harming our neighbor. We are beaten up. We beat up other neighbors. We ignore the needs of our neighbors. We are everyone in this story, except for one. And when He comes, the story gets good. The Samaritan comes and finds this dead man, who is us, in the ditch. He is supposed to hate this man. He is supposed to hate us. He is supposed to walk away. And He'd be right to do so. But Jesus is the Good Samaritan and He doesn't do what the world thinks is right. He always does the unexpected. So instead of leaving us to die, He binds us our wounds and picks us up. He washes away our sin with His Word. He feeds us with His living body and blood under bread and wine. And He pays the cost of our care with His own life. He places Himself into the hands of robbers, evil men, who beat Him up. Then they put Him on a cross while priests, Levites, and so many hundreds, even thousands, of His neighbors walked on by. Some ignored Him probably; others jeered and taunted Him. Yet He remained in the ditch that was the cross. And He died for you, trading in His life for yours. Jesus tells us the story of the Good Samaritan because He is our only neighbor who generously and unexpectedly rescues us from the ditch of our sin and death. He nurses us back to health. We are alive and well because He found us. We aren't the Good Samaritan in the story; Jesus is. But He calls us to use our lives to go to our neighbors and spend time with them, to spend money on them, and to tell them this good story of our Good Neighbor. In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God!  TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Christ Heals a Deaf-Mute August 19, 2018 MARK 7:31–35 Groaning Our Ears and Tongues Open In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Why did Jesus give you ears and tongues? 31 Jesus left the region of Tyre again and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought a man to Him who was deaf and had a speech impediment. They pleaded with Jesus to place His hand on him. (Mark 7) This poor man had ears, but could not hear. He also had a tongue, but could not speak. He had friends who cared about him and felt pity for him. So they brought him to Jesus. 33 Jesus took him aside in private, away from the crowd. He put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue. (Mark 7) Jesus separates this man from the crowd. This is because Jesus is kind. Without hearing and speech, sight and touch are this man's imperfect way of knowing the world. And now he sees only Jesus. Whatever happens next is going to be the work of Jesus alone. 34 After He looked up to heaven, He sighed (really, groaned) and said, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”) 35 Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was set free, and he began to speak plainly. (Mark 7) Think of how many times this poor man must have looked up to heaven and groaned. And that's the right word here. Jesus groaned. He wasn't annoyed by having to care for this man; He deeply felt this man's frustration and isolation. This man's brokenness hurt Jesus personally. And He groaned. Groaning is what Paul speaks of about all of us: 22 For we know that all of creation is groaning with birth pains right up to the present time. 23 And not only creation, but also we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8) Jesus groans with us and for us. He sees the results of our self-righteous whispering about others and He groans. He sees the results of yelling at our children and He groans. He sees the cost of how we don't use our tongues to faithfully rebuke those under our care of sin and recklessness and He groans. He sees siblings being cruel with other children and it costs Him. It costs Him because He answers our groans with His death. You sin and groan and Jesus groans and dies. He became our sin, the cause of our groaning, and was punished for this deaf-mute man and for you. And now we have the firstfruits of the Spirit, which is trust and faith in Christ. We continue to groan in our waiting to be completely delivered from the evil of our bodies and of this world. Until we die or Jesus returns, we live in and around bodies that fail. And there are so many ways that our bodies let us down: austism and allergies, cancer and colitis, bad hearts and bad ears. Even childbirth stresses mothers and their bodies and causes pain in delivery. But after the baby is born, there is joy. After we are done with this world and we leave behind our bad backs and broken hearts, our joy is complete. And not so much that our backs and hearts and noses and ears and tongue will work the way they always were supposed to work, but because we will see Jesus with our own eyes, because by faith now we used our ears to listen to Jesus and our tongues to confess who He is: our Lord and God. This is why He gave you ears and tongues: to hear and speak His death and resurrection. Now you know what the future holds for you: your death and resurrection. Groaning for now, but now joy, too, and forever. This is why (Bentley's) baptism is a miracle, even more major--if that's possible--than Jesus opening this man's ears and making his tongue work again. Baptism is a miracle of death and resurrection: 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life. (Romans 6) In resurrection our ears and tongues are given back to you better than before. A dead person's ears and tongue don't work. They are closed. They can't hear anything of lasting value and they can't say anything that will last. Same with unbelievers—their ears can't hear Jesus and their tonuges can't confess that He is our Lord and our God. And it's the way we used to be before Holy Baptism—deaf and mute. But by faith now we hear and confess Jesus. Our ears still listen to gossip and slander and our tongues still deceive and leave out the truth. Yet Jesus daily kills our old ears and chops out our old tongues—our old sinful flesh that only wants to get its own way—and raises us new every morning with good ears and good tongues. We are tempted to see Baptism as a one-time dusty-past event in our lives. Let us repent. The deaf-mute man made new by Jesus certainly thought of his “resurrection” not in the past, but as a present and on-going reality. So is Baptism. It is our daily reality, made new by Christ, now and forever. It isn't magic or superstition; it's a miracle. It is God speaking new life to you, giving you hearing ears and tongues which praise His holy name and marvelous deeds. My soul, now bless your Maker! Let all within me bless His name Who makes me a partaker Of mercies more than I dare claim. Forget Him not whose meekness Still bears with all your sin, Who heals your ev'ry weakness, Renews your life within, Whose grace and care are endless And saved you through the past, Who leaves no suff'rer friendless But rights the wronged at last. (Christian Worship, Hymn 257) In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God!  Image by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872). Image provided courtesy of the Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University. ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector August 12, 2018 LUKE 18:9–14 Bad Guys Cry Out in Fear and Love In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Who's the bad guy in this story? “Two men went up to the temple courts to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of all my income.’ However the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even lift his eyes up to heaven, but was beating his chest and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ (Luke 18:10-13) So have you figured it out. . . . Yes, it's you. It's us. We are the bad guys who look at others and say, “I'm not like other people.” So maybe you don't think this at church, but you probably think this at Wal-Mart. And you definitely think this at home. This Pharisee is like us. We think that if we do extra credit, the Great School Teacher in the Sky is going to give us a gold star. In the time of the Old Testament the Lord had commanded fasting … once a year. This Pharisee was doing 100 times more than what the Lord had commanded. Wow! The Lord didn't require that your ten percent offering—your tithe—include the small herbs you had: mint, dill, cummin, rue. But even as this scrupulous Pharisee went big on fasting, he also paid attention to the little things, like these herbs. This would be like reporting the nickels and dimes you pick up off the sidewalk to the IRS. This Pharisee didn't cut corners with God. And he wanted everyone to know it, perhaps simply (putting the best construction on it) to inspire others to follow in his footsteps of godliness. But he was trailblazing his way to hell. Notice how Jesus says it: “I tell you, this man [the tax collector] went home justified rather than the other [the Pharisee], because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14) He was a bad man going to hell because he was so good! He trusted his own acts of goodness instead of God's mercy. He trusted in himself that he was righteous and looked down on everyone else. (Luke 18:9) We are just as “good” and therefore just as bad. We trust ourselves. We look around and despise those who aren't as visibly good as us. Dearly beloved, repent! We began as the bad guys, but in Christ we are forgiven and declared good in His sight. We trust in His mercy. We are alive in Him. And now trusting in Christ's mercy, just like the tax collector, our good deeds are not done to get His extra credit, but to help our fellow human beings. Our offerings aren't a competition with others or a bribe to God, but instead a thoughtful and cheerful gift back to Jesus who has given us all we have. He has given us all of Himself through His holy death on the cross and gifted us life through the water and Word of Baptism. And now today we have cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us!” And in love He responds, “Take and eat, this is My body. Take and drink, this is My blood for the forgiveness of your sin.” In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God!  SIMONET, Enrique - Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem - Flevit super illam - 1892 TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Christ Weeps over Jerusalem August 5, 2018 LUKE 19:41–44 Jesus Will Not Weep Over You In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. When is the Day of Judgement? When is God going to judge you and declare, “You're in”? On Palm Sunday Jesus sees the city of Jerusalem and weeps. He weeps because He sees the past and the present and the future. He looks 40 years into the future when Roman legions would lay siege to Jerusalem and destroy the city and its people. This future destruction is compounded because it had happened before, 600 years earlier. The Babylonians had laid siege to Jerusalem and eventually destroyed the city. Jesus knew that Jerusalem had been destroyed and would be destroyed again. He also knew that the very mob that was cheering Him into the city would be shortly crying out for His crucifixion. Jerusalem was a place of murder and destruction, but worse it was filled with blind hypocrites and stubborn unbelievers. They did not recognize the time of God's coming to them—they rejected Jesus as their Savior from their hypocrisy and unbelief. Their Savior was standing right in front of them; He had taught and spoke to them many times. Even in the last week of His life before the cross, every day He was teaching at the temple and the people hung on His words. Yet many others refused to listen to what He was saying; they did not trust that He was the One who brings peace that lasts. This lasting peace comes from being judged by God according to His Son's righteousness. Instead they wanted to be judged on their own merit. They wanted to be judged by how Jewish they were, either by how well they kept the rules of Moses (as they saw them) or by how hard they fought back against the Romans. Either way they ended their days without any peace and judged to be lacking by God. We, too, can fall into the trap of wanting to be judged by our own merit. We want God to judge us based on how often we come to church—some think in terms of every Sunday, others think in terms of once a month, still other think in terms of every Christmas. We want God to judge us based on our devotion to a particular congregation. But our membership or attendance cannot save us. Being Jewish or American or German or Nigerian cannot save us, just as being a member of Gethsemane or Saint Paul's or Our Savior's cannot save us. None of these things are Jesus, the only One who can bring us peace when we are judged. We come to church not to be seen by God or by others, but to see only Jesus, who stands in our ears right now and stands in our mouths at the Holy Supper. This is why church brings life. Not because it is Gethsemane or Saint Paul's or Our Savior's, but because Jesus is here, our Savior and Judge. When is the Day of Judgement? When is God going to judge you and declare, “You're in”? At the end of the world, when Christ will come to judge all people, the living and the dead, according to their personal deeds. The deeds of the believers are good because they have been personally saved and made live by the promise of our Savior, who died and rose for you. The Day of Judgement comes also at times of death and destruction, for this is when the soul and body are separated and Christ judges believers by His righteousness and welcomes them to continue their life with Him forever. So it is good to remember that the Day of Judgment takes place on the cross and every time a baby is baptized or a man is converted. God makes for Himself a people who were no people. He brings us into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through water, bestowing upon them the Holy Spirit, faith, and His own precious Name. He reigns in us, as our King and Lord. The devil has lost his claim. We call neither death nor sin “Lord.” In Christ, we have eternal life. We are the Temples of the Holy Spirit. Under the cross, God says, “You're in!” and so the Kingdom of heaven is within us. And Jerusalem stands as a warning. The Kingdom is within us but we are in constant danger from the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. They threaten to divide us back into tribes and pit brother against brother, church member against church member. Once the people of Jerusalem were God’s people. They lived by grace through faith. But in the days of Christ’s ministry on earth they had turned away and were destroyed. Repent. Cling to the Word of God. Embrace and love the Law even while it accuses you for in it you know what is good and you know what is eternal. Live as sojourners and exiles. Do not ever think that this world is your home. The map will keep changing until there is no map. This present city and nation will not last, but if our Lord is still delayed they will go the way of old Jerusalem. Abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your souls. Keep your conduct in the world honorable so that when they speak against you as an evildoer, as a bigot, a racist, or a close-minded fool, it will be false and despite what they say, they will see your good deeds and glorify God on the Day of Judgment. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God! NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Parable of the Shrewd Steward July 29, 2018 LUKE 16:1–8 When It's Generous to Be Unjust In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Why does Jesus tell stories? He tells a story today about a master and the steward of his house and estate, similar to today's money manager. And something is wrong: “There was a rich man who had a manager who was accused of wasting his possessions. The rich man called him in and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be manager.’ (Luke 16:1b–2, Evangelical Heritage Version) What had the manager done wrong? He was wasteful. He was not using his master's possessions in the way that the master wanted his money used. Was the manager skimming money into his own Cayman Island slush fund? Was the manager overcharging the tenant farmers, much like the tax collectors of the day? Or what it something else? Jesus continues: The manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, since my master is taking away the management position from me? I am not strong enough to dig. I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from my position as manager, people will receive me into their houses.’ (Luke 16:3–4, Evangelical Heritage Version) The manager is in an almost life-and-death situation. Managing money was the only thing he knew how to do; now his life was coming to an end. In a moment of clarity he recognizes that he doesn't want to do and takes steps in order to live. He called each one of his master’s debtors to him. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘Six hundred gallons of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write three hundred.’ Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘Six hundred bushels of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and write four hundred and eighty.’ (Luke 16:5–7, Evangelical Heritage Version) His plan is to start giving out large discounts on the agreements that the tenants has agreed to pay to the master. With one tenant, he slashes the bill by 50%. With another, he gives a 20% discount. Was this manager stealing again from the master? Maybe. Was he being generous with money that wasn't his? Absolutely! And so here's the surprise (almost every parable has one): The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. (Luke 16:8a, Evangelical Heritage Version) This translation of the original Greek text is good, but some transparency would be helpful. A more literal translation is this: The master commended the unjust manager because he had acted wisely. Understanding this sentence and those words “unjust” and “wisely” unlocks the purpose of this story. At first blush this sounds like God is approving of cheating and stealing in some situations. But God hates the sin of theft. This sentence tells us that He does love to be generous. Earlier I had asked how the manager had been wasteful. I defined wasteful as not using his master's possessions in the way that the master wanted his money used. You can relate to wasteful mismanagement. If you tell your financial advisor to invest in a certain way, and he doesn't, he won't be your money man for long. If you tell your kid to take your credit card to buy school supplies, and they come back with apps and Nitro Cold Brews, you'll be upset. In the same way the master wants his money to be spent the way he wants it spent. How does he want it spent? Perhaps another parable could shed some light on this master's attitude. In Matthew 20 Jesus tells a story about a master who hires workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard. At the end of the day, he pays everyone the same. The workers who worked the whole day get the same as those who worked a soft hour in the evening. The all-day laborers grumble about this injustice. Jesus ended: But [the master] answered one of [the grumblers], ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not make an agreement with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last one hired the same as I also gave to you. Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ (Matthew 20:13–15, Evangelical Heritage Version) These masters of of these parable are generous. This is why Jesus told stories: to show us His generosity. He's giving away the kingdom of heaven. That's why He came to earth: to generously spend His life on all the sinners of this world. To us His generosity seems wasteful. Why would Jesus die for the science teacher who was having a bad day and shouted at my sophomore daughter? Why would Jesus die for the radical activist who is methodically destroying all good institution of society? To us His generosity seems wasteful. We worry that if salvation is a free gift from our dear Lord, then we'll take it for granted. Of course we take it for granted! We are sinners. Let us repent of our pride that hopes we can saves ourselves. Our salvation is not in showing God how grateful we are, but in Jesus killing us with His Word and bringing us to life with His eternal promise. You aren't good enough; you are a wretched miserable sinner, in fact, you are the worst. You are worse than a drug dealer, than a mother who's aborted her three babies, than the President of the United States. If you are offended by this, take it up with Saint Paul, who wrote inspired by God: This saying is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” of whom I am the worst. (1 Timothy 1:15, Evangelical Heritage Version) Christ died to only to save sinners. By grace He has saved you and now given you a job: to manage His generosity. Many of you are holding grudges against others and you are just and right to do so. But your “justice” damns you to hell! Leave the management of justice to our dear Lord Jesus Christ; He will repay, not you. Manage His generosity. Forgive your friends and your former friends. Forgive your paranoid brother, your gossiping sister, your stubborn parishoner, and your stupid pastor. Like the manager, be wasteful and unjust with our Lord's forgiveness, just as He has been unjust to you. Like our dear Master, be unjust which is His way of saying: “Be merciful.” What is the most unjust thing in the history of the world? Christ dying alone on a cross for you. That's mercy that He has happily wasted on you. This is the true story that He tells to you over and over again. In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God! EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Beware False Pastors July 22, 2018 MATTHEW 7:15–20 Don't Take My Word For It In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. You shouldn't trust me. Pastors lie. We omit. We leave things out that should be left in and we put things in that should be left out. Pastors worry about what you think. We don't want to rock the boat and risk our jobs. It's not so much that it's a cushy job; it's that we don't like change and then we like it too much. But we pull our punches, thinking that it's best for the church, when it's probably because we're scared. So don't trust your pastor. But you need to trust someone. And yes, you need to trust in someone. Someone who has no one to trust in is someone who isn't really living. They drift without purpose or hope. And so everyone needs to trust in something. But what you put your trust in is the key. You can put your trust in some pretty awful things. For some, the something is carnal pleasure, wine, women, and song. For others, the something is the screaming belief in murdering babies, but only when you really need to. You can also put your trust in some good things. For some, the something is family. For others, the something is the synod, our national church body. For still others, the something is their pastor. Don't trust family. Don't believe in the synod. Don't take my word for it. Instead, take Jesus at His word. When He says to you through your pastor, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” take Him seriously. It's true. When Jesus says that wretched liars are forgiven, and by grace and by His blood we are judged by Him to be truthful, it's true. His good word gives you a family that is eternal. His good word gives you a congregation where the truth is preached. His good word gives you a pastor who speaks not his own word, but the word of Christ, your dead and risen Savior for you. And that is how you know the good pastors from the bad ones. Not by how we look. Not by how young and energetic we look; not by how old and wizened we appear, but by what we say. Jesus said: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. You do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do you? So then, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:15–20, Evangelical Heritage Version) Words are the fruit of a preacher. And if those words don't ring out the truths we confess in the creeds, how there is a Father who preserves us, how there is a Son who saves us, how there is a Spirit who makes us alive, then the preaching is bad fruit. This doesn't mean every sermon has to include a “brief summary” of everything in Holy Scripture, but these core truths on which our lives depend must there, always in the background, and often front and center. And always in focus is the One you need to trust. The One who looked into our hearts and saw thorn bushes and thistles—bad plants—and yet still resolutely and mercifully chose to be conceived, to be born, to suffer, and to die for you. And this One calls you to be cut down and be grown anew: a branch on His vine, bearing grapes, good fruit. This is the only way a pastor can be good; this is the only way any Christian can be good. But hey, don't take my word for it; take Jesus': “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. Such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you continue to bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:5–8, Evangelical Heritage Version) In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God! TRINITY 6
The New Righteousness July 8, 2018 MATTHEW 5:20 Gospeled People Who Love the Law In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. To see Jesus more clearly today let's answer two questions: What is Pharisee? And are there any Pharisees left today? A Pharisee was a Jewish religious leader who sought to make God happy by following rules. Some of these rules were from God; many more were extra rules they created to help God see that they loved Him more than other people. Let us assume, safely I think, that most Pharisees were not outwardly annoying. We know many were hypocrites, preaching one thing and then doing another. But their contemporaries may have had a different view. They may have seen them as sincere honest men who were often generous and helpful. You might not want them living next door, since they tended toward being scolds, but you probably wanted to know one as an acquaintance. When your family got into a jam, when your son crashed your team of oxen into your neighbor's grapevine, well, a Pharisee knew people, they were respected, and they could put in a good word to smooth things over. We know the names of some Pharisees: Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Gamaliel. But the Pharisee you know best doesn't have a proper name. In Luke 15's parable of the prodigal, he's there and his name is “Older Brother”. When the Pharisees are troubled by Jesus eating with bad sinners, He tells them three stories. The last one is the parable of the prodigal. It's a story about an nice guy with a spendthrift dad and deadbeat brother. He's the guy who doesn't utter a word when his younger brother goes off to essentially kill himself. This “nice” older brother only pipes up when his payday is threatened by the dumb dad bring his deadbeat younger brother back to legal life, which includes getting a share of the inheritance. LUKE 15:29–30 He answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I’ve been serving you, and I never disobeyed your command, but you never gave me even a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours arrived after wasting your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION 2017 This nice older brother followed the rules. And he expected to get paid for being so nice and obedient. But his true colors are flown when, instead of rejoicing in the mercy of his father toward his fellow human being—his own brother—he sees red. This is the best way to understand Pharisees. They want to win by following the rules; they want those who break the rules to lose. This mindset works for them since they are very good at following the rules, at least on the outside. But only on the outside. This is the Pharisees' downfall. They might be able to avoid murdering someone, but they can't keep from being disgusted by all the losers around them whose lives are messes. Jesus said: MATTHEW 5:20 Indeed I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and experts in the law, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION Now as I've talked about Pharisees I've been saying them. But now I'll switch to us. We think that following the rules will save us. And when that doesn't work, we think that following the rules better than most other people will save us. And what really exposes us is that when life doesn't go well, we become bitter at God. Just like the older brother furious at his foolish father. But Jesus preaches what the rules really are and checkmates the hearts of all. Jesus says that we shouldn't kill anybody and some have to say, “Guilty.” Jesus then says that we should not speak evil of our fellow human beings and a lot more have to say, “Guilty.” And Jesus then says that we are to be reconciled to our brother and really with all people and then all the rest who thought they would be able to wiggle out of Jesus' accusations have to say, “Guilty.” It's no good trying to play games with the Lord. You will lose. We can't even beat other people at the rules-keeping game, let alone God Himself. So Jesus has to back us into a corner and show us that there is no place to go. He doesn't do this to beat us, but to show us that He has already won for us. There is only way out of the checkmate of our own damning sin: Jesus' death. The King of kings has to die and He did on a cross. His death is the only price able to pay for the cost of our sin, our anger, and our pride. We live in a sea of Pharisees. You look at one in the mirror every day. The politics of our day is one of bent and perverted “morality” but these activists who want to murder babies or who want to make all students pray to a generic Christless “God” or who rail against patriarchy are just as zealous for their cause and their rules as any Pharisee. Against this quicksand of intolerance and snap judgment, we can only do one thing: repent and turn to Jesus and ask Him for mercy. Lord, give us the opposite of what we deserve! Flowing from His cross-won forgiveness, we listen carefully to our fellow Pharisees and speak slowly. And when we do speak, we will checkmate the one who is comfortable in their sin. And to the one is terrified of their sin, we invite them to join us in receiving life from our same Lord Jesus Christ. A Pharisee is someone who thinks they can save themselves by following a set of rules. And there sure are tons of them today. We are some of them. And to us Jesus said: MATTHEW 5:20 Indeed I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and experts in the law, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION How will you enter the kingdom of heaven? By beating the Pharisees at their own righteousness game? Never! But we do need righteousness that surpasses the Pharisees. And Jesus is the one who gives us our new righteousness. By faith His righteousness is ours. In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God! TRINITY 5
Fishers of Men July 1, 2018 LUKE 5:1–11 Christ Catches Peter to Catch People In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. When Jesus tells Peter to cast out his nets into the water, this would be like telling him to throw out an empty hook into the water. The fish in the Sea of Galilee just would not be in that place at that time of day. Peter and his brothers knew how to fish; they made their living at it. But Peter's answer to Jesus is about as good as it gets this side of heaven: LUKE 5:5 “Master, we worked hard all through the night and caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION 2017 Every Christian is of two minds when it comes to the Word of God. Part of us doesn't believe God and doesn't expect good things from Him. This is why we sin—we are trying to make our own way and satisfy our own desires. We think the things God has forbidden aren't that bad and the things God has commanded aren't that good. So we ignore His Word, His promises, His threats, and go our own way. And yet, at the same time, as baptized believers in Christ, we do trust His Word and ignore our own opinions. By faith we listen to Him and tell our flesh to be quiet. The Holy Spirit suppresses our disbelief and causes us to confess against ourselves. This is what we do when we stand up together and confess the Nicene Creed. At least part of me doesn't really believe that God is the Creator—I doubt it. I'm worried about it, because maybe it's not right. But the Holy Spirit causes me to confess against myself with my fellow believers, “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty… We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God… We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life.” God suppresses our old sinful nature, and using our tongue we agree with God and expect good things from Him. All night long Peter and his brothers had worked for their catch, and then after a fruitless night, Jesus gives them what they no doubt had prayed for all their lives: an easy and abounding catch of fish. But it was too much of a good thing. The nets are breaking, the boats are groaning, and in this miracle, these fishermen are made aware of their own mortality. They aren't such good fishermen, they aren't such good swimmers, and they aren't even that good at living. Their lives are fragile and in danger. And Peter cannot stand as sinful man in the presence of God. So he cries out, not in faith, but out of fear, LUKE 5:8 “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION 2017 This is sinful prayer and a ridiculous request. Faith never asks Jesus to leave. If Jesus goes away, then Peter goes to hell because hell is the place where God is not present in His mercy. But the Lord persists and denies the prayer. He refuses to leave and this is the Gospel, the good news. The One who is standing in the boat with Peter is not there is destroy him, but to be his friend, his Savior, and will put Peter to work, and make him the man He always meant him to be. Peter walked away from a pile of fish and boatload of cash, but he lost nothing and gained everything. Now he knows his place in the world and sees it from the perspective of eternity: the Lord Jesus Christ has come to be his Savior. And as He does for Peter, He does for you. He answers your prayers according to His mercy and for your eternal good. He doesn't leave you, but persists in giving you just what you need. He answers your prayers with Himself. In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God! NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
The Forerunner of Christ June 24, 2018 ST. LUKE 1 Two Nativities Surpassed By Only One Other In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Samson the Judge and John the Baptist have much in common. They both were men were given special work to do the Lord's work. They both died violent deaths. They both were Nazirites, which meant they lived under rules from the Lord. They were not to drink wine or eat raisins. Their hair wasn't to be cut. They were to avoid dead bodies. And they both had barren mothers, women who couldn't have children… until the next thing they have in common happens: an angel shows up. An angel appeared to Samson's mother; an angel appeared to John's father. JUDGES 13:3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to [Samson's mother] and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION 2016 ST. LUKE 1:11–13 An angel of the Lord appeared to [John's father], standing on the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw [the angel], he was startled and overcome by fear. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son for you, and you are to name him John.” ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION 2017 These nativities are amazing and going beyond understanding. In short, they are miracles. But both these miracles are surpassed by another nativity: Jesus' incarnation. Samson and John were sons of fathers and mothers. Jesus' mother is the Virgin Mary, but He is the eternal Son of God. This alone makes Jesus unique in the history of pregnancy. But there's more that sets Jesus apart: His death. Samson died a violent death because of his own sinful choices: he chased after women and he was very proud of his strength. In the end, this led to his downfall. On the other hand, John was beheaded because by God's grace, he had remained faithful to his work, which the angel of the Lord spells out: ST LUKE 1:16–17 He will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare a people who are ready for the Lord. ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION 2017 Yet, not even the death of faithful John saved anyone, not even John himself! John's whole life had been dedicated to this truth: John and all other sinners needed a sinless Savior to sacrifice Himself for sinners. And Jesus is that Savior. John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, which meant that Jesus was going to be sacrificed for us. ST JOHN 1:29–31 The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘The one coming after me outranks me because he existed before me.’ I myself did not know who he was, but I came baptizing with water so that he would be revealed to Israel.” ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION 2017 John's whole life was about Jesus. John took joy in being second fiddle, while playing up his Savior, Jesus. When John's disciples were worried that Jesus was stealing his thunder, ST. JOHN 3:27–30 John answered, “A man cannot receive a single thing, unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves are witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and listens for him, is overjoyed when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION 2017 Even though our births are not on the order of John's nativity, let us join him in praising the nativity, life, and death of the Lamb of God. Decrease yourself and increase Jesus by rising in the morning and saying this truth: “I am a sinner, and I need Jesus.” These words of Law and Gospel will give you all the joy of the world. Even when faced with trouble and sadness, as John was, let Jesus' reassuring words to John, reassure you that He is the One who calls us to feast with Him today and forevermore. ST. LUKE 7:18–28 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of his disciples to him, he sent them to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who was to come or should we look for someone else?” When the men had arrived, they said to Jesus, “John the Baptist sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the one who was to come or should we look for someone else?’” 21–23 At that time Jesus healed many people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits. And he gave many blind people the ability to see. Jesus answered them, “Go, tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me.” 24–28 After John’s messengers had left, Jesus began to talk to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? No. Then what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Yet those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ Yes, I tell you, among those born of women there is no prophet greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” ENGLISH HERITAGE VERSION 2017 In Jesus' Name. Amen. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Thanks be to God! |
AuthorPastor Boehringer has been preaching Christ and Him crucified to himself and to his congregation at Gethsemane since 2009. Archives
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