Sermon - Pentecost 13 - Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

Luke 12:49–53

Pentecost 13

Good Shepherd, Two Rivers, WI

A pastor friend of mine was looking ahead to these upcoming readings from Luke’s Gospel, and jokingly lamented, “oh great, here comes ‘mean Jesus’!

Certainly there is much in today’s reading from Luke that strikes us as odd, at least goes against our typical conception of who Jesus is.  

We often think of Jesus from the paintings - welcoming the little children, lovingly caring for the sheep, maybe even smiling and laughing.  Or we think of Jesus humbly dying on the cross, praying the Father to forgive even his tormentors.  Or maybe Jesus all bright and shiny and seated at the right hand of the Father - watching out for us, hearing our prayers.  And of course, this isn’t all bad.  But there’s more to Jesus than all this.  Especially when we come across a reading like this.

It might even seem hard to find much good news in Jesus’ words this morning.  He’s certainly not sugar-coating the hard truths, or painting a rosy picture of what he is about.  “I come to bring not peace, but division.  Fire!  Family strife!”  This is the gospel of the Lord.  Thanks be to God?

But a closer look reveals that yes, even in what sounds harsh, Jesus is about the business of saving and cleansing and promising good things to those who have ears to hear.  And it’s ok for us to bring in other scriptures, to remind us that He is just but also the one that justifies.  He is holy, but he makes us holy.  He brings a fire that destroys but also purifies, a water that washes away the wicked, and also our wickedness.  And he does divide people, even families.  But promises those who believe in him will never be separated from him, or from the Father.

He begins, “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!”

You know, there are different kinds of preachers.  Some tell lots of stories - like from Readers’ Digest.  Some like to share personal anecdotes about their kids.  There are dynamic preachers and expository preachers, and preachers that always seem to be talking right to you.  Some When you hear about someone who is a “fire and brimstone” preacher, it’s usually not a compliment.  It usually means they come off angry, and are harsh and perhaps even cruel, holier than thou - not a real pleasure to listen to. But here comes Jesus, cracking out the fire himself.

Any true student of scripture knows that Jesus is not all pillows and puppies, but that he can make a whip and overturn tables.  He can call out the pharisees just as harshly as John the Baptist.  He can preach the fire and brimstone.  But this is no ordinary fire, and certainly not an uncontrolled blaze.  When Jesus speaks in these harsh terms, he brings the fire of God’s wrath, his righteous wrath over sin.

We may want to believe in a God who is always nice, and never says or does anything unpleasant.  A God who is always, only, love, and never scolds or judges.  But the problem is there is no such God.  God is holy and righteous and hates sin and punishes sin.  And we don’t get to create a God to our liking.  Nor should we ignore what we says of himself and imagine him in a more palatable fashion.

And the thought of the righteous Son of God casting fire on earth should make us quake and tremble, for we are sinners, and deserve to be burnt up like stubble.  We are guilty as sin, and deserve the punishments of sin, death and hell.

But all is not lost.  Yes, our God is a consuming fire, but there is also a baptism.... there is cleansing.... Jesus continues:

“I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!”

Jesus had already been baptized by John in the Jordan.  So he’s not talking about that here.  But in that baptism by John, Jesus did do something important.  He identified with us sinners.  He who had no sin of his own, took on our sin, became the stand-in for all sinners.  And the baptism he was about to undergo - would be truly distressing.  It is the baptism of the cross.  The baptism of suffering and death.  The baptism of bearing God’s wrath for all sin, being consumed in his body to pay the debt for us all.

The same Jesus who will one day come to judge the living and the dead, who will destroy this corrupt creation in fire, and cast those who reject him into the eternal lake of fire....  is the same Jesus who stands between you and the fire of God’s wrath.  And instead of you, he is consumed.  He takes the heat, for you.

And so there is peace with God.  For in his resurrection from the dead, he proves stronger than death, and paves the way for your resurrection.  So baptized into his death, we are also raised in our baptism - raised to life in Christ who lives.  So our baptism is only distressing to the Old Adam, who there is drowned, and buried.  The New Man in us, the new creation in Christ, lives in Christ forever.

But that doesn’t mean that everything is all a bed of roses for us yet.

On this earth, in this time in-between, as we wait for the return of Christ, the day of judgment and victory...  in these end times, there will be trouble.  Especially for us who are in Christ.  And even, yes, in the family.

“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

For the word of Christ, by which we live, is a dividing word.  It divides truth from falsehood.  And sometimes the truth hurts.  The letter- the law- kills.  But the Spirit gives life.  Those who reject the truth, reject the Spirit, reject the life Christ brings, and are divided from you who receive it in faith.  There are believers, and there are unbelievers.  There are sheep and goats.  Yes, sometimes even in our own family.

That doesn’t mean we don’t love our parents and children (and yes even our in-laws) who are outside the church.  It doesn’t mean we write them off or scream that they are going to hell.  Nor, by the way, does it mean we can adjust the uncomfortable truth of God’s holy word to make us more at peace about the whole situation.

But it does mean we have some praying to do.  That God would call the unbeliever to faith, as he’s called us.  It does mean that we have some loving to do - for if Christ tells us to love even our enemies, then certainly there’s room to love even the unbeliever under our roof, or at our Thanksgiving Day gathering, or 

And it also means we have an opportunity, so share the hope that is within us.  To point to Christ in our actions and words, when the time is right, with great humility. 

Invite ‘em to church.  Pray for them.  Tell them you pray for them.  And be an example of faith yourself.  Maybe even tell them what a big sinner you are, and yet how much bigger is Christ’s forgiveness.

That Christ was baptized into death for you, and raised from death for you, and lives and rules all things for you, and for all.

And he does not promise peace on earth, but does promise peace with God for all who believe.  So trust in him, dear Christians, for that peace is yours.  That peace not as the world gives, he gives to you.  The peace that trusts in him, and in his truth, in spite of all trouble and persecution, in joy and in suffering. A peace that flows only from faith.

And that peace that passes understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, amen.

Sermon - Hebrews 11:1-16 - Pentecost 12

Hebrews 11:1-16

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Cassopolis, MI

August 11th, 2013

Pentecost 12

“The righteous shall live by faith.”

“We hold that a man is justified by grace through faith.”

“Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”

Holy Scripture has a great deal to say about faith.  In our Old Testament reading we see Abraham, that great man of faith - whose faith has served as an example for some 4000 years.  We are children of Abraham, “by faith”.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus calls his people to trust God’s provision - and chides them for being “you of little faith.”

And here, Hebrews 11, sometimes called “The Great By Faith Chapter” of the bible.  We see this parade of Old Testament figures who lived by faith.  We hear this refrain about all their good deeds done “by faith”, and how they trusted in God despite what could be seen with worldly human eyes.

Perhaps here also the clearest scriptural definition of faith:  “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

The problem with believing in things we don’t see is that, well, we don’t see them.  And our Old Adam, our sinful nature, likes his eyeballs a little too much.

Of course I don’t mean just our sense of sight.  I mean our eyes and ears and all our senses, and our human reason, too.  When you have every earthly reason to believe something is one way, but someone points your nose to a passage of scripture that says just the opposite - here’s the rub.  Here’s where the devil works, to create doubt and despair.

Take creation - Hebrews says, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”  Ah, but my eyes say differently.  My ears hear all these smart people saying otherwise.  My textbook at school says it was evolution, and a purposeless big bang, and a godless process of randomness that brought about this creation.  They write books about this and make convincing TV documentaries.  And frankly, I’m a little embarrassed to admit I believe in creation sometimes, and well, maybe I doubt it, myself.

But the word is clear.  Genesis leaves no doubt, “in the beginning, God created...”  And Hebrews agrees.  And so, for that matter, does Jesus Christ.  Sin and Satan would have us doubt, but God calls us to believe what is not seen.

And this just sets the stage.  For there is so much more that is unbelievable about our faith - so much more in which to hope, so much more which is unseen.  The fact that he is creator means he sets the rules.  And where God sets a rule, a sinner will break it.  This too, we need to see:

That there is a God who judges sin.  Hard to believe that sometimes, in a culture that (if it admits there’s a god), believes in a god who doesn’t judge (and you better not, either!).  A smiling, almost senile grandfather in the sky who is either oblivious to our misdeeds, or just laughs them off like the antics of a toddler.  

But the Word of God paints a different picture entirely - one of a righteous judge who is righetous-ly angry over sin, for he is holy - and you are wicked.  He will punish the wicked, and damn the unbeliever.  He will judge the goats and say, “depart from me”.  And there, outside of his presence, will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

Do we believe in Hell?  Do we believe in punishment for sin?  Do we believe that we are sinners?  What do we see?  Will we believe?  And yet still, believing in God’s wrath and the reality of his punishment - this isn’t really what we mean by “faith”.

But faith is needed for entirely this reason - that it trusts in what is not seen.  For faith lays hold of the promises of God in Jesus Christ.  Faith is  what grabs onto all the good things God has said - and which yet our eyes do not see.  Faith sees beyond what is seen.  Faith, your faith, a gift from God in itself... this faith saves you.   It is by faith  in Christ that we live.

This faith is rooted in Christ and his promises, that when your sin seems oh-so-great, his forgiveness is greater.  It’s faith that when you just can’t shake the guilt, the shame, you are baptized into Christ’s righteousness.  Faith - in his gifts - that you can’t see or hear or taste or smell - that in bread and wine he gives Christ’s body and blood for your forgiveness.  Faith that the blood of Christ is sufficient to cover sin - even your sin - even your deepest, darkest sin.  Washed in the blood of the lamb, even if you can’t see a speck of red on you.

Faith is especially important when life in this sinful world dumps its troubles in your lap.  When you feel so buried with sorrow and worry and calamity and when enemies surround you at every turn.  When it seems to your eyes that if there is a God, he has surely forsaken you - or has a sick sense of humor.  When despair is lurking at your door and satanic doubt twists your self-pity into anger at the Lord himself...

Have faith.  Remember to trust in what is true - even if it is not seen.

God is love.  And his love is for you.  He so loved the world, including you, that he sent Christ.  And Christ has died for you.  And Christ has won for you the victory, even over death itself!  Have faith.  He will not leave you or forsake you.  He will not treat you as you deserve.  He who has spared not his own son, how will he not also, graciously, give us all good things?

In our troubles, it is faith that chomps down on the promises of God in Christ like a bulldog clamps his jaws on a meaty bone.  Never let go of those precious promises.  They will sustain you in the fights of life, through wilderness and calamity, in the solitude of your pain, and in the din of a life with little outward peace.  In all things, God works for the good of those he loves, and who love him, in Jesus Christ.  We see it, by faith.

And for those of you who feel like you don’t have enough faith, pray with the centurion, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief”.  Remember that faith itself is unseen - a gift that is given by the Spirit (also unseen), through the Word and in the sacraments.

Be strengthened in your faith - as you hear his words and promises again and again.  Don’t be a stranger from this, his house.  Don’t ever let that baptismal water dry off for too long, but keep returning to those waters daily - in repentance, by faith.  By faith, gather at the rail, and receive the precious gifts of Christ - given and shed for you - to strengthen you in the true faith to life everlasting.

And stop looking inward to yourself.  For we do not have faith in faith.  But our faith is ultimately, and only, in Christ.  Look to Christ.  See him, by faith, in his word.  Hear him, by faith, in the words of his servant in this place - who stands in his stead and forgives your sins freely.

Those Old Testament heroes of faith - they died in that faith - never seeing the ultimate fulfillment of what was promised.  How great was their faith!  But we, too, though Christ has come, has died, has risen from the dead - we too, still look forward to a future day - a final hope, in faith.  That our Lord will return and grant us the promised homeland, that heavenly country, that city of eternal citizenship.

Live in that same faith, dear Christians.  For the hope of Abraham, and all the other men and women of faith - is the same hope we enjoy, the same one in whom we believe, and in whom we live, by faith.  In Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Sermon - Trinity 10 - Luke 19:41-48

Trinity 10

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Garfield, NJ

Luke 19:41-48

Jerusalem, 70 A.D.

Roman general Titus and his armies surround the walled city of Jerusalem and lay siege.  The Jewish historian Josephus tells us the details.  And it was brutal.

The city was overcrowded, as people had fled from the armies to the safety of its walls.  But now the city was surrounded by armies.  Food would no longer be brought in.  And the people could not escape. Josephus tells us the Jews became so desperate that they ate anything they could - leather, even straw - or resorted to cannibalism.

The Romans built a mound to encircle the city, and there they crucified attempted escapees - as many as 500 per day.  The siege lasted 5 months.

In the end, over 100,000 are said to have died of hunger and 600,000 total died in the siege, with another 97,000 taken captive.  Many of these were sold into slavery, sometimes sold for less than the price of an animal.  Many of those slaves were sent to Roman arenas around the empire to be killed in as spectacles by wild animals.

All of this suffering and misery.  All of this trouble and shame.  All of this, because they did not know the time of their visitation.  All of this, Jesus foresaw.  All of this, Jesus speaks of in our Gospel reading today.

But other than a shocking history lesson, what difference does this make to you and me?

For one, we need to realize that God’s judgment is real, and it is serious business.  And if you think that the judgment and wrath of 70 A.D. was bad - it’s child’s play compared to the final judgment day.  In fact the destruction of Jerusalem serves as a foreshadowing of the final judgment.  When Jesus speaks about one, he often weaves in talk of the other.  For on that day - which is yet to come - God will also deal with those who reject his Son.  He will separate sheep from goats, believers from unbelievers, the righteous from the wicked.  And woe to those on the receiving end of his punishment.

Jesus himself shows this aspect of God’s nature when he cleanses the temple in righteous anger.  A Jesus that some would be surprised to see - is he acting out of character?  Who is this Jesus making a whip and overturning tables?  But our loving God is also a just God.  He is merciful, but he is also the judge of all.  And his judgment is deadly serious.

Second, we must say of those who stand under God’s judgment - “there but for the grace of God go I”.  Indeed, apart from Christ, such judgment is our fate and future.  Apart from Christ - we would be wiped out with temporal and eternal punishment.  Apart from Christ, without Christ, were it not for Christ - we would be in ruin, destined for death and destruction and eternal separation from God.

But we are not apart from Christ.  And Christ has taken the punishment Jerusalem deserves, and then some.  He himself suffered and was crucified, but that wasn’t even the worst of it. In the midst of his dying agony, he cried out to God, “Why have you forsaken me?”  He bore the wrath of God, the punishments of Hell, and God the Father turned his back on his own son.  Whatever physical suffering Jesus endured, as terrible as it was, paled in comparison to this.

All this he does for you.  To save you from the wrath of God.  To save you from the punishment you deserve.  To rescue you from death and the devil, and win the victory over sin.  To purchase your place in paradise, and guarantee you mansions in heaven.

In fact there is another picture of Jerusalem we could consider.  It is the heavenly Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ in her glory.  It’s a picture that is described in the book of Revelation:

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall,with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb....

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Dear Christians, in this tale of two cities, thank God that he has recused us from the Jerusalem of Destruction, from the place of unbelief, from the suffering and shame and death we so deserve - and has made us a part of the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, glorious and holy.  

The difference is not in anything that you do, or anything you are in yourself - the difference is only Christ.  He who has died for you, whose Spirit calls you to faith, and who forgives your sins and clothes you in his own righteousness.  

So repent of your sins daily.  Give thanks and rejoice that he cleanses the temple of your body by baptism and absolution and in sacramental meal.  And live in the hope of that day when all nations who trust in Christ will gather in his presence forever.

Sermon - Pentecost 10 - Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11:1-13
Pentecost 10
Grace Chapel, Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO
July 28th, 2013

If you are like me, you don’t pray as you should.  You don’t pray as often.  You don’t pray as selflessly.  You don’t pray with as great a trust and faith as you ought.  You pray for things you probably shouldn’t.  You don’t pray for things you should.  You say you’ll pray for someone, keep them in your prayers, and then even though you mean well you forget.  Your prayers are mis-prioritized.  You pray “my will be done”.  Maybe you even pray, if you’ll admit it, that God would zing those enemies of yours, you know, those people who really deserve some wrath and punishment.

Surely we sin and fail in all things, even when it comes to our prayers.  But Jesus would teach us how to pray.  And in teaching us how to pray, he not only shows us where we are wrong and insufficient, and how to do better.  But even in this model prayer, this Lord’s Prayer, there is the comfort and hope of God’s grace in Christ.  There is his name, his kingdom, his will for us - there is the reminder of his provision, daily bread, full forgiveness, and all that he wants us to ask and receive.

By the way, the Lord’s Prayer appears twice in the Gospels - Jesus probably taught variations on it over and over.  Here in Luke we have the shorter version - which is different from the one that you and I have memorized.  Nonetheless, there is much to learn even here.  Let’s consider each portion in turn...

“Father” or “Our Father”.  Neither Judaism nor Islam teaches that we should approach God in prayer as Father.  But our God is the Father - not only our Father by virtue of creation, but also the Father of the Son.  And it is only by virtue of the Son that we come to the Father, as Jesus taught.  Let’s not pass over too quickly that our loving Father would have us wayward and disobedient children turn to him in prayer, and ask him as dear children ask their earthly fathers for good things.  He won’t give us scorpions and snakes.  He’ll give us far more than we could ask.  He gives us even his own Son, Jesus Christ.

“Hallowed be thy name”
We are reminded of the Second Commandment, and how often we dishonor and abuse God’s name, taking it in vain.  As people who bear his triune name in our baptism, everything we do reflects on him.  Every time we sin we sully the family name.  But nonetheless, God’s name is holy, and we pray here that we would keep it holy among us.  That we would devote ourselves to growing in his word, in our faith, that all things connected to him, his name, his identity, would be kept holy by us and be a blessing to us.  It is no small thing that God tells us his name, and invites us to call upon him.  A command, to be sure, but a blessing all the more.

“Thy Kingdom Come”
God is king over all, but not all know it, like it, believe it.  For us, we acknowledge him as our benevolent ruler who is not only a law-giver but protector and defender.  And he rules not with an iron fist, but through his word, even his gospel.  He would extend his reign of grace over the world, expanding the horizons of his kingdom through making of disciples, baptizing, teaching.  So we have been brought into the fold.  So we send missionaries, pastors, teachers and others to carry on the expansion of his kingdom.  And we pray that God’s reign would grow and strengthen, first in our lives, and from there... to all.

“Thy will be done”
Not mentioned in the shorter version here, but still worth mentioning - that God’s good and gracious will is that sinners like you and me would come to faith in Christ.  When we pray this petition, we’re not so much asking God to direct us in what to have for dinner or where to send our kids to school.  We’re praying the prayer of faith - that God would work repentance and forgiveness of sins in Christ - in my life, and in the lives of others.  This is his good and gracious will.

and now... “Daily Bread”
All that we need to support this body and life.  And yet we turn our bread into an idol.  We twist the good things in life, food and drink, house and home, cars and clothes, computers and smartphones... and we make them into little golden calfs and put them on our pedestals of worship.  But still, God provides.  He gives graciously and lavishly, everything we need and more.  Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow, for if God clothes the flowers and feeds the birds so well, won’t he care for you who are much more valuable.  And if he cares for these our lesser needs of earthly things, won’t he care also for our greatest need - the one we pray for next?

“Forgive us our sins” or “trespasses” or “debts”
And here is the heart of it, friends.  You and I are in a predicament.  We are poor, miserable, sinners.  We are wicked and rebellious by nature.  We are dead in our trespasses.  We are beyond help.  At least in ourselves.

We rebel against the Father.  We dishonor his name.  We trample his kingdom.  And we could care less about his will.  We abuse our daily bread.  And we rack up the sinful debt that is beyond count.  Oh and remember we don’t even pray as we ought.

But the Lord Jesus Christ who tells us to pray for forgiveness does so with good reason.  For he himself, on the cross, would procure that very thing.  “Father”, yes, Jesus prays to the Father, too, “Father, forgive them.  Father into your hands I commit my spirit.  For it is finished”.

The Father, our Father, has given his Son.  And the Son forgives.  And the Son lives.  And the Son gives us life.  And the Spirit is sent to us, also, to renew and strengthen our faith, and bring us always to the cross of Christ for even more forgiveness.  To remind us of our baptism, where our Father made us his own.

And then there is the Supper - for God provides not just daily bread, but here in this holy meal - heavenly bread, and festival wine - that is not just bread and wine, but his own Son’s body and blood.  Here he forgives our sins, strengthens us against temptation, delivers us from evil.

You see, the Lord’s Prayer, this wonderful teaching of Jesus, is not just for us to mumble together in a show of Christian unity.  It is not just a handy prayer to teach our kids should they ever get into real trouble.  Nor is it just a sentimental topic for a needlepoint pattern.

In this prayer Jesus teaches us.  And he teaches us not only how to pray, but why we need to pray - for we are sinners.  And not only that, but he also teaches us about himself, and his Father, our Father.  That our gracious God delights in our prayers.  And as a loving Father he wants to give us good things, for the sake of Jesus Christ.

So pray.  Pray without ceasing.  Pray freely and joyfully, in faith, to the Father who wants to hear you.  Who wants to give you good things.  Pray in humility, for Father knows best, and will give you what you need.  Pray confidently in the name of Jesus, who makes our prayers and our very selves acceptable to God, through his life and death for us all.  Pray in him, and live in him, even into the kingdom to come.

Now may the peace of God....

Sermon - Luke 10:25-37 - Pentecost 8

Sermon – St. John's Lutheran Church, Fredonia, WI
Pentecost 8c
July 14^th, 2013
Luke 10:25-37

“First.. we kill all the lawyers” The famous line from one of Shakespeare's plays has become a running joke about how to make a good start at fixing all the world's problems. But our Lord Jesus Christ, who deals with a lawyer in our text today, would surely disagree. Jesus' approach to this lawyer is to engage him, to teach him, and thereby to also teach us. And out of it, we get one of the greatest parables – that of the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan, who might not be who you think he is.

First, the lawyer. Like many characters in the Bible, he suffers from a universally common disease – self-righteousness. Of course, it seems he's also testing Jesus here in this witty little exchange about what he needs to do to be saved. While he gets the answer right, intellectually, he gets in wrong in his own life – for he doesn't do what the law demands.

Notice the four – count 'em four – times “All” is used here. Love the Lord with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your strength, and ALL your mind. All is a pretty universal, word. It's a pretty extreme form of law that demands ALL of us – but that's God's law. An all-or-nothing, 100% holiness of life, heart, mind, every part of your being. The standard is perfect perfection – not just pretty good or even mostly good. All means all.

“Do this and you will live” Jesus says. And if anyone could, we would. Of course you know the problem is, even the holier-than-thou lawyer couldn't do it, and neither can you or I.

To put an even finer point on it, we don't really even get close. It's not that God's standard is unreasonably high or unfairly impossible – he's a just God and who are you to question his law anyway – but we don't really even come close to fulfilling it. We trample the law. If we're honest with ourselves, we're not just a little corrupt, but wholly unclean, throughly rebellious, and 100% polluted with sin. If we are ALL anything we are ALL sinner. The polar opposite extreme.

But like the lawyer, we would like to argue our case. Our pathetic attempt to wiggle out of the law's condemnation might follow his rhetoric: “well, just who is my neighbor, then?” (Notice how he sidesteps the question of loving GOD with his whole heart and just quibbles about the neighbor part).

The Old Adam likes to pick and choose neighbors. We say it's impossible to love all people. We come up with good reasons for loving some and not others. Usually it's the people we like, who are like us, who can do something for us, that we consider neighbors. And the different, the foolish, the bad people don't deserve our help. Thank God he doesn't use our standard for showing mercy, by the way. And to illustrate the point – Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Of course, Jews and Samaritans generally despised each other – different ethnic and religious backgrounds, rival states neighboring each other. So the parable surprises us that the man who is robbed gets help from the least likely person (so the lawyer would think). And without unpacking the parable's meaning too much – he tells the lawyer, “go and do likewise”. Be a good neighbor. And the lawyer, sadly, continues to miss the point.

What the lawyer should have said, and what we must also confess, is that I CAN'T and I DON'T, and my sinful nature doesn't even WANT to love God or my neighbor. Not with my whole heart, or any of it at all. I can't “Go and do likewise”. And therefore – I cannot be saved. I cannot justify myself. I cannot walk the perfect walk that is required. I'm no saint. I'm not even a very nice guy. I'm certainly no good samaritan.

But Jesus is. Here's the not-so-secret secret of this parable. Jesus is the Good Samaritan if there ever was one. He finds us beaten and bloodied (and worse really) by our own sins, by the devil, by the sinful world. He picks us up, cares for us. Has compassion on us (a common refrain in Luke's Gospel is Jesus having compassion). And Jesus gives of himself – but far more than his own oil and wine, his own donkey and silver coins. He gives his very self – his own life – his own body and blood for our healing and restoration, even for our justification.

Like the Samaritan, he also departs, leaving us in the good hands of his Holy Spirit and with the ongoing nurture of his word and his sacraments. And like the Samaritan he promises to return and settle accounts, and to make all things right.

Only by faith in the Good Samaritan who saved us do we begin to be one to others – to reflect and share the love of Christ for our neighbor. The lawyer never got this far with Jesus – he wanted to do it on his own. But in Christ, by his Spirit, his people are first saved and then empowered to “go and do likewise”.

But now it's different. Loving our neighbor is a joy not a burden. And it happens truly out of love, not out of obligation and fear. Sure, we never do it perfectly, even with Christ, but he perfects our imperfect love of neighbor. He makes our good deeds acceptable and pleasing to God. And this fine distinction is an important one. Jesus says, “apart from me you can do nothing”. But in Christ, in constant repentance and faith, he can do great things through us.

So. Christ, by his perfect life and perfect death and glorious resurrection – has made us like himself. He has made us holy and righteous, and won for us victory over death. So, too, by His sanctifying Spirit, does he promise to make us like himself in all things. That He who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion.

As we grow in God's word and in our understanding of just how helpless we are, may we learn to rely on Christ all the more – who binds up our wounds and brings us to safety. And who bids us, in faith, to “go and do likewise”, for he has first loved us.

“First we kill all the lawyers” – how about instead, first the law must kill us. So that we see our sin, and our predicament. Confess. Repent. And then see the One who fulfills the law perfectly rescues us and resurrects us and pays for everything we need. Receive his love and mercy. And then, go and do likewise. For his sake, and in his name. Amen.

Sermon - Luke 10:1-20 - Pentecost 7c

Sermon – St. John's Lutheran Church, Beloit, WI
Pentecost 7c
July 7^th, 2013
Luke 10:1-20

Your pastor and I had a funny little conversation about my visit here, and the readings for this Sunday. Being a missionary, and reading a text where Jesus sends out 72 to preach in his name – it almost seemed to easy. Like a softball. Hit it out of the park, Chryst. “Jesus saves. Mission is good. Support your missionary. Amen.”

Well the more I looked, it wasn't that easy. For yes, while I am being sent out to preach, like so many other preachers, what does this reading have to do with the people of St. John's, Beloit? Is there more to this than a sort of “spread the message” example or imperative? Sure we should all tell people about Jesus when we have the opportunity. And some are even sent to do that for a living. But there's more here than just that!

Sure there's the details of those 72 that were sent. But what was their message? What did they say to the people they saw?

“The kingdom has come near you”. A message repeated in the Gospels. The kingdom of God is near. The kingdom of God is at hand. And Jesus clarifies at one point, “and has now arrived,” that is, in his very self. Jesus Christ is not only the one sent by the Heavenly King to do his bidding, but he himself is the Son of the Father, who would earn all authority in heaven and earth, and one day ascend again to his throne.

John the Baptist began with all this “Kingdom of God” talk, and Jesus picked up where John left off, since John was preparing for Jesus anyway. And both John and Jesus included in that kingdom message a stern word: repent!

Now we're getting somewhere. For the preacher sent to you – the one who usually stands here – preaches the same message as John and Jesus and the 72. The same message the church has always preached as it has been sent by Christ. The message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ. The message that the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ is near.

Before we talk about being sent and sending missionaries, we must first acknowledge that we have all benefitted from the message that was sent to us through similar messengers. And thanks be to God for that!

It is a message that can seem harsh, and it is, when we hear the law. “Woe to you Chroazin and Bethsaida! And Capernaum, you will be brought down to Hades!” Jesus doesn't sugar coat the real consequences of sin and rebellion and rejection of his word. He's not a guy smiley promising your best life now with warm fuzzy stories and emotionally uplifting inspirations.

Wrapped up in that word, “repent!” is the accusation that you, sinner, deserve the same treatment as Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, Sodom and Gomorrah. Fire and brimstone. Death and punishment. All the woes of hell.

You think your sins are little and excusable, but they are not! You think that because the other guy sins more, or in a more spectacular way that you will skate by in comparison, but you won't! You think that God's standard is flexible, and that there's got to be some leeway for well-meaning sinners like you. But don't fool yourself.

The law doesn't say, “rest easy”, or “don't worry”. It's an alarming slap in the face that you, each of you, all of us, deserve eternal death for our sins. If you truly knew how bad your sins are, you'd be sitting in sackcloth and ashes, too.

But there is good news in this kingdom, too. For those who repent, for those who turn from sin and turn the other way – we see Jesus. We see the one who sends messengers with good news, with peace. Who brings healing of body and soul. Who brings authority and power over evil. Who defeats Satan, and writes our names in heaven.

What a promise that is! That your name is written in heaven. Of course, his name is upon you, too – by your baptism. The trinue name of God was spoken and splashed onto you and your sins went down the drain. You eternity is sealed and secured with Christ in that blessed water. Your name is on the list of those who are saved in Christ.

And you join in that heavenly gathering already, here today. As you kneel at the rail and receive him who comes in peace to give you peace – you are joining with all the company of heaven, angels and archangels, saints and apostles and prophets, all those who have gone before you in the faith and now stand in his glorious presence. We are part of that blessed communion of saints – the community of all whose names are written in heaven. Rejoice also in this!

For the kingdom of God has come to you and me in the person of Jesus Christ. He who died on the cross under the sign, “King of the Jews”. He who wore the crown of thorns and bled his royal, precious, innocent blood for his subjects. Whose shameful throne of the cross makes you an heir of heaven, who promises you a crown of righteousness and a reign with him forever.

The message we have been sent, have heard, have believed.... this is the message we proclaim. It is the good news preached from our pulpits. It is the same message preached by missionaries far and wide. It is the power of God for salvation that is the hope within us, and the source of our works of love for our neighbor.

It is the good news. It is for you. Peace be upon you, in Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sermon - Pentecost 6 - Luke 9:51-62

Sermon – Hope Lutheran Church, Friendswood, TX
Pentecost 6c
June 30^th, 2013
Luke 9:51-62

It's not just in other countries that there are challenges for the Christian church. This week we've seen how the unbelieving world disregards scriptural teaching on marriage, and continues to support the evil of abortion, contrary to God's holy word. But it's always been this way – people rejecting God, and Christ, and his word. Even when Jesus himself came to visit the Samaritan village in Luke 9 – they wanted nothing to do with him or his teaching. They would not receive him.

And just as the disciples were outraged and wanted to call down fire, to destroy those unbelievers like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah – we may be tempted to wish for God's wrath on the unbelievers in our day. I would humbly suggest that as Jesus would rebuke the disciples', he might say something similar to us, in our day. I'm not saying we shouldn't exercise our vocation as citizen, but we must take care to do so without sin. Christ came to call sinners to repentance, to seek and save the lost that they might have life. We should pray for our enemies – not hate and despise them.

So the world rejects Christ and his word. Always has, always will, somehow or another, until he brings this age to a close. Jesus doesn't seem concerned that some reject him, but instead knuckles down and moves on to preach elsewhere – wherever he will be heard.

Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus tells his disciples not to take it personally when they are rejected – that the world will hate them, because it first hated Christ. The Samaritans were caught up in their ethno-religious pride. We won't support you if you're going to Jerusalem! But there are all kinds of reasons people use to turn away from Christ, and turn the Gospel away.

Sinners will be sinners, and even those who would follow Christ are prone to excuses. “let me follow you – but as long as I have a comfy place to rest.” “Let me follow you, but let me bury my father – you see, Jesus, family comes first.”

Following Jesus doesn't necessarily mean leaving behind your house, your family, and moving to a far off land. But it does mean leaving behind the old ways, the ways of death and sin. Like Lot's wife who turned back to look ruefully and perhaps longingly at the wickedness behind her, there is no turning back for Christians either. Even when following Christ means bearing a cross of our own, being persecuted for righteousness' sake, being hated by the world that hated him. Still he calls us to follow.

Now, it's not so easy to turn away from the sin and death behind us. But it is part and parcel of our faith. Another word for this is, “repentance”. A change of mind and heart that entails both sorrow for sin, and also trust in Christ our savior. Turn away, look away from what is behind you. Throw off the sin that so easily entangles, and turn your eyes to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross...

Confession and absolution. Law and Gospel. Sin and grace. Drowning the Old Adam daily, and seeing the New Man arise. This is what it means for us, as Christians, to not look back. It means looking to Christ.

And looking to the cross – which really isn't a very pretty sight. Some think it's foolish, and others say it's a scandal. But Christ crucified for sinners is the very wisdom and power of God. There in the wounds of Christ, does he bleed away his life for your sin. There in the shame of his humiliation does he take your guilt and shame. The cross, ugly as sin, where he who had no sin was made to become sin for us... let us never turn back, or turn away, from that blessed vision of Jesus dying for you and me.

The farmer who plows and keeps his focus ahead – is more likely to plow a straight line than the farmer who looks back. In fact, that's what Jesus did. When he came down from the Mt. of Transfiguration, he “set his face” toward Jerusalem. He set his sights on the cross. He would not be deterred or diverted. Though surely Satan tempted him, and the world begged him to be some other kind of Messiah. He would not be stopped from his mission. His hand was to the plow. He would not look back. He came to die. For you.

No looking back. so too, with the faith. May the Spirit grant us a laser-beam focus on Christ – who saves us by grace through faith, that we may follow the narrow way that leads to eternal life. That way is only, always, Jesus Christ – the way, the truth, the life.

And with a future secure in him, why would we ever want to look back? With a promise of a place with him, why would we ever make excuses? Why would we hold on to our sins, when he so freely forgives them? Why wouldn't we receive him eagerly as he comes in his word, and by his sacrament, for our great blessing?

The world hates Christ. Our sinful flesh is in rebellion, too. But thanks be to God in Jesus Christ, that by the power of the Spirit, working in the word to create faith in us, that we are snatched from death for eternal life.

And it is this Gospel of Jesus Christ it is our privilege and joy to proclaim. Pastors preach it – here and abroad, even in Singapore. All God's people give witness by our words, and show his love by our actions. And it is our fervent prayer that many others would come to look to Christ, look only to Christ, and never look back, even to eternity.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Sermon - Romans 3:21-24 - Presentation of the Augsburg Confession

Sermon – Messiah Lutheran Church, Kenosha, WI
Presentation of the Augsburg Confession (observed)
June 27th, 2013
Romans 3:21-24

Dear Friends in Christ,

June 25th, 1530, in Augsburg, Germany, something quite remarkable happened. German princes stood before Emperor Charles V, and for 2 hours straight read aloud a document which publicly confessed their faith. They took their lives in their hands to do so, for the man who began this reformation of the church some 17 years earlier, Martin Luther, had been placed under the church's ban as a heretic and could be arrested on sight to face certain execution. By professing the same beliefs as Luther, they placed themselves at peril with both the powerful church and state.

Why should we care what it says, learn its history, or pay attention to what it teaches? What does a document that is 483 years old have to do with you and me? Hopefully today we can answer these questions.

The Augsburg Confession is a series of 28 articles – topics – that cover the chief teachings of the Christian faith and also a number abuses that needed to be corrected in the church. The first portion, on Christian doctrine, covers God, Sin, Christ, Salvation, the Church and its Ministry, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, Repentance, Good Works, and other topics. All things we continue to hold as important teachings, even today. And there is a timelessness about it because the Augsburg Confession is rooted in and clearly proclaims God's word.

This 483 year old document matters in much the same way that the 2000 year old New Testament matters – it informs our faith, it shows us God's Word, and confesses and explains it clearly. The articles are careful not only to confess truth, but also to condemn errors. And what a refreshing approach in today's climate of so-called-tolerance. Where the only thing people think is wrong is to say someone is wrong. The AC has no problem saying what is true and what is false – and we can both agree with what it says and learn from its approach.

If there's one article that best summarizes what the whole thing is about, it's probably article IV, on Justification. It's short enough, so I'll read it to you:

[Our Churches] teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ's sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight.

If you've been around enough Lutheran preachers, that should sound very familiar. If you've heard enough Lutheran sermons, it shouldn't shock you. We pastors swear a solemn vow to uphold the teachings of the Lutheran Confessions, including this Augsburg Confession – because they are in accord with God's word. And we take those vows seriously. The Confessions show us not only what it means to be Lutheran, but what it means to be Christian.

These are not just ideas that Luther made up. This is a clear expression of what Scripture teaches. Hear it again, from Romans 3:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Romans 3:21-24, ESV)

For all of its fascinating history. For all of the drama in the story. For all of the Lutheran-identity patriotism it inspires and the rigorous doctrinal clarity if professes.... The Augsburg Confession is about Jesus Christ. It is about Christ who accomplishes salvation for you because you can't do it yourself. It's about “salvation by grace through faith” in him. And that's not just a slogan. It is the heart and soul of the confessions, of the Lutheran faith, of the rightly understood Christian faith... it is the chief message of the Bible.

Or to put it even more simply, Jesus died for you.

Of course, as sinners, we have a hard time with this simple truth. We want a part in our salvation. We want, by nature, to think we deserve heaven by our good works, or our sincere commitment. But Romans is clear, all of us fall short of the standard – the glory of God. We cannot earn heaven, we do not merit God's favor, we don't and we can't deserve anything but punishment.

But thanks be to God for Jesus Christ! Who became man for us, fulfilled all righteousness for us, suffered and died for us, and rose victorious for us. He gives salvation as a gift, for his own sake, on his own account – freely, fully, eternally. And we receive it with joy.

His sacraments are the same – free gifts of pure grace – a lavish flood of mercy and grace in Baptism – and a rich meal, generously feeding all his people with forgiveness, life and salvation.

If you want to better appreciate these blessed truths, I have a few suggestions for you. I don't usually put “how tos” in a sermon, but I think you might find these helpful. How to know better the teachings of the Augsburg Confession, and therefore, of Scripture:

1. Read it! It's won't take you that long. And if you do want to dig deeper, read the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, which is like the expanded version. You don't need to be a professor of theology or even a pastor to benefit from an encounter with this important piece of our church's heritage. And if you've already read it – read it again every so often.
   
   
2. Attend church! Your Lutheran pastor preaches and teaches in accord with the AC. Give thanks to God for faithful pastors who rightly do so! Here you will hear sermons and teachings that re in accord with this central truth of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. A blessed truth that we need to hear again and again. You will hear proclaimed what is true, according to God's word. And you will hear warnings about falsehood on the same basis. You will hear that you are a sinner, and you will hear of your salvation in Jesus.

3. Always look to Christ! If you would believe and live the faith expressed in the AC, it means you trust in Christ alone. Always. Never yourself or your own works or supposed goodness. Confess your sins. Repent. Believe in Jesus Christ for your salvation. He will never leave you without his grace.

Sermon - Pentecost 4 - Luke 7:36-8:3

Pentecost 4 – June 16^th, 2013

Luke 7:36 - 8:3

Trinity, Millstadt, IL

"Big Sinner. Big Savior"

The contrast couldn't be clearer. The self-righteous pharisee and the sinful woman, grieving at the feet of Jesus. The parable is a no-brainer, who loves more? The one with the bigger debt that is cancelled.

Duh.

The Pharisee didn't honor Jesus as he should have, but the woman showed him persistent, humble, heartfelt honor.

So the point is be more like the woman and less like the pharisee. Amen. Sermon over. There's your food for thought for the week. Right?

Not so fast. It's true, we would be like the woman, though we are often more like the pharisee. And if we truly know it, it should drive us to tears as well. Maybe it's the straight-forwardness of this account that lends to us so easily passing if over, without a very personal application. But since I'm a guest preacher, and I can maybe get away with some things more easily, I'm going to be a little more straightforward today, too. And I'm not going to let us get away with it. In fact, I'm going to talk to you – but just understand that as I do so I am talking to me, too.

You – you are a big sinner. You're like the pharisee in this way – that you think your sins are small. But they are a mountain, squashing you like a bug. You may look at the sinner next to you and think that guy is really far worse. You're not THAT sort of sinner. But don't be fooled. You're just as bad.

And how do you know it? Just look at your life and compare it to the 10 commandments!

The first commandment – have no other gods. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad – how often you break it. How many little gods you parade around in your life, all far ahead of the true god. Your job, your family, your hobbies, your comfort, all these things you put before the true God, all these things you fear and love and trust more than him. All these things, good things that God gives you, you turn into idols. You might as well be bowing to a golden calf.

You misuse God's name. Oh you might not utter the big G-D, but you find other ways. You bear the name of Christ after all, so when people see you sinning it reflects poorly on his name. And you don't call upon his name as you should in prayer and praise and thanks.

The sabbath day – well, I'm here, aren't I, pastor? I come to church every week! Sure. And you can pat yourself on the back for that as you continue to despise the preaching of his word even from the pew. When the sermon's a little boring, when you're more interested in what's for lunch. Or even on non-sabbath days, when you act like doctrine doesn't matter and why can't we all just get along?

And we've just scratched the surface of sins against God. Your sins of thought and word and deed – the things you have done and left undone – it's not just a nice little formula for the beginning of the church service – this is a humbling confession that our sins against God are so inclusive and expansive that we just couldn't list them all.

And if sinning against God isn't enough for you, there's plenty of sins against your neighbor. Your despising of authority, whoever it is in life that you have to listen to. Your boss, your government, your parents, even your pastor. Your sinful nature balks and chafes at this. You want to be in charge. But you'd rather do without God's gift of authority. You think you could do it better on your own.

And you murder. Sure, you might not have ended a human life. But you tear away at life. You harm others and fail to help them. Often it's the people you are closest to that you hurt the most! And then there's your own life. You don't take care of your own body as your should. You drink too much, smoke too much, eat too much, exercise too little. What a nice way to honor the temple of the Holy Spirit.

And adultery. We're good at keeping these sins secret. But imagine if all your sexual sins were put on open display, here, today. Then you might get a taste of what that woman was feeling at Jesus' feet.

Theft. Your neighbors possessions – you don't care about them, or your neighbor as you should. You'd rather have them yourself. Your greed for things leads you to dishonest gains and stingy-ness. Things are a problem for you, too, even though you might not have committed armed robbery.

And words – the way you talk about other people. The way you rationalize gossip about your neighbor as genuine concern. Or maybe you don't even play that game and just hope they won't hear you talking behind their backs.

And coveting – a sin of thought – wanting what's not yours, and not being content with what you've been given. Sins of the heart are so hard to see, and so maybe we're fine if we just keep them to ourselves? No. Those count against you, too.

Well that was exhausting. And it was only a short glance at each commandment compared with our lives of sin. You may not be in tears, but I hope it poked some holes in your conscience, as it did mine. Perhaps now we can once again join the woman at the feet of Jesus. For only there can we find comfort. Only there can we find an answer to the sins which plague us, and which we ourselves plague upon others. Only Jesus. A big savior for big sinners like you and me.

Jesus. Who does all things well. He actually kept all those commandments. He actually loved God fully, entirely, completely, perfectly. Never put anyone or anything ahead of his Father. It could only make us feel like more of a failure unless we realize all this he did for us! His perfect righteousness was for us! His keeping of the law was for us! So when God looks at us, he sees not our laundry list of sins, but the pristine record of perfection that is Christ's! Jesus kept the law for us, born under the law, to redeem us who were under the law.

And furthermore, he takes all that gunk of sin, and you know it well, Christians, he nails it to the cross. Every pointing finger that ever rightly accused you of evil – points instead at Jesus on the cross. Every time you've coveted another's wife or house or things – Jesus has it covered. Every time you've talked smack about your friends or enemies, Jesus has it covered. Every time you've stolen or lied or cheated, covered. Every unchaste and impure thought and deed. Covered in his blood. Every hurt and harm you've done to yourself or another – he was bruised and smitten for those transgressions. Every little rebellion against authority, he has the authority to forgive, and he does. Every time you've turned your back on his word, he is quick with a word of pardon. Every time you've dishonored his name or dragged it through the mud, he will point you to his gift of washing it away in baptism. And all your guilt for all your little idols and gods– all of that is put away in the cross of Jesus Christ. Where the Father's forgiveness is won, and where sin and death are finished.

Jesus isn't a little savior, just dealing with some of your sins. He is a big savior, for all of your sins. His blood is a flood of mercy and grace that covers every tiny little sin and every elephant in the room sin. Even that one deep dark sin, that you've struggled with for years, that you wonder in the dark of the night, “can God forgive me even for this?” Yes. He can, and he does, in Jesus Christ.

His words to the woman are his words to you: “Your sins are forgiven”

And let us not pass over these lightly either. “Your. Sins. Are. Forgiven.” Not my words. Jesus' words. No caveats. No conditions. No buts about it. Words of pure grace.

Words spoken to you by your pastor in Christ's stead. You hear them often. But they are more than just reminders. They are the powerful and active promise of Christ, effective and real. They are proclaimed here at this pulpit week in and week out. Words of forgiveness that never get old, that are always a joy to hear. Words also attached to bread and wine, and a promise of his presence, also for your forgiveness.

The woman who wept, she came to Jesus, weeping over her sins which were many. Your sins are many, too, dear Christian. And they should grieve you just the same. But fear not, for the same Jesus who spoke forgiveness to the poor sinful woman, is the Jesus who speaks a kind word of forgiveness to you, even you, even today. Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

Sermon - Luke 7:11-17 - Pentecost 3

Pentecost 3 – June 9^th , 2013

Luke 7:11-17

Immanuel, Hodgkins, IL

"Jesus Saves Widows, Dead Guys, and You"

If you've ever suffered loss... you probably know how well meaning people can say some of the least helpful things. Things that they intend to help you feel better. But things that might even make you feel worse.

Sometimes it's hard to know exactly what to say to someone grieving, and sometimes it's better just to say nothing at all. A warm embrace, or your mere presence can be of some comfort. Maybe.

But I think most of us would be hesitant to say, to a woman who's just lost her only son, “Don't cry”. And someone who does say such a thing surely seems to know little about suffering and grief. Someone who says such a thing seems to have little compassion for what this poor woman is going through. Maybe someone who would say this is insensitive. Maybe he's just mad. Or maybe, just maybe, he's the Lord of Life and Death, and he can actually do something about the cause of all her tears.

Jesus, of course, knows just what he's doing, and what he's saying. He is the Savior of widows, of dead guys, and of you. Let's take each one in turn.

This poor widow. Grief upon grief was added to her. She had lost her dear husband who knows how long ago. And while that is hard today, it was far harder back then and there, when a woman had to rely entirely on the provision of a man. But at least she had a son to care for her. Until just now, when the young man also died, leaving his mother without family, and without worldly support. She might end up begging for her daily bread. She might not make it herself. When Scripture encourages Christians to care for the “widow and the orphan”, we are being directed to some of the neediest of the needy.

Not only did she feel the pain that any mother would feel at such a loss- but this was her only son – and now, she was really all alone.

Even in the crowd of mourners who accompanied her, she was singularly alone in her suffering.

So here comes Jesus, crashing into the scene, with no invitation and no plea from the poor woman or anyone else. Not like the centurion in the last chapter who pleaded for his servant. Not like so many others who come on behalf of their loved ones for Jesus' help and mercy. Jesus takes the initiative. He comes first, he breaks in to the conversation and stops the funeral procession cold.

And he says to her, “don't cry”. And in this outrageous little sentence is hidden a promise. Don't cry, because you will soon have joy. Don't cry, because your son will rise. Don't cry, because Jesus brings life to the dead.

It's not a power-of-positive-thinking encouragement. That if you tell yourself everything is ok that it somehow will be. It's not a mind-over-matter manipulation of your emotions. It's not a denial of reality. It's a deeper reality, revealed in this miraculous moment, and revealed more fully on Easter Sunday, and yet to be revealed in its fullness at the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

When Jesus raises her son, he gives her back more than just her son. He gives her hope.

And this hope is also for the young man. The man who isn't named. Cause of death unknown. Well, we know the root cause at least. It's the same disease that affects us all. A self-inflicted, self-perpetuated illness called sin. The law's diagnosis is clear, we are dead-men walking. In our sins, we are already dead, as dead and helpless as the young man in Nain, being carried to his grave. We can't decide to be alive.

But again, there's Jesus, who comes and touches death and speaks to the dead man, “arise”. And it is so. By the power of his word, he commands life to return, and the Lord of Life gets his way. No one asked for this, or decided on this but him, Jesus, the savior.

And then there's you. Are you a victim of suffering, like the widow? At times, to be sure. Maybe yours even seems worse than others. Maybe you are tempted to grieve without hope. Or are you like the young man, if you will admit it, on your way to the grave because of your sins – however hidden or blatant they may be? Like a condemned death-row inmate, guilty as sin, because of your sin, your own most grievous sin?

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. If we say we are alive, we are liars. If we say we are just fine, we're the lunatics. We are lost, helpless, and hopeless – and we deserve everything we get and worse – without Christ.

But Jesus Christ crashes into all that. For the widow, for the dead guy, and even for you. The only Son of the Father, comes to restore the widow's son and all sons and daughters of wrath. The one who suffered and died on Calvary is the man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief. As Mary, another widow, watched her son die under Roman orders, for crimes he didn't commit, the salvation of all was accomplished. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one who speaks, “Father, forgive them” and “It is finished”. And he proves without doubt his lordship of life and death, when he leaves death in the dust, stone rolled away, and only the sins of the world left behind.

The one by whom all things were made, who knit you together in your mother's womb, makes all things new, and will raise you on the last day. The one whose voice called the widow's son to rise, has called you to arise already. In the call to faith, proclaimed in the Gospel, your sinful flesh dies, and you live. In the washing of rebirth, your Old Adam is drown, and your New Creation bursts forth. In the gifts of his table, he brings forgiveness, life, and salvation. His word of promise assures it. And as he would say to the widow, “don't cry”, he would speak words of comfort to you. Your sins are forgiven. Your future is secure. He who lives and believes in me, even though he die, yet shall he live.

We long for that day, when from this vale of tears we depart. We pray for his coming, for the fulfillment of all his promises. We press on toward the eternal hope that is so clear in his word. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. And as we stand in our flesh and see him, with resurrected and glorified eyes, no more harm or pain or suffering or sin or death can assail. And God will wipe every tear from our eyes.

Yes, Jesus himself wept at the grave of his friend, Lazarus. And so he shows us that death is not to be laughed at. It is no friend, but a sad wage of sin. Yet for those who trust in Christ, the resurrection and the life, we see in death the gate to eternal life. And so Paul says we grieve, but not like other men who have no hope. We cry, but ultimately we rejoice. We suffer, but we know comfort. We face our old enemy with a peace that passes understanding.

For the Lord of Life crashes in to our grief. He speaks words of comfort, even to widows, even to dead men, even to you. Believe it, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

Sermon - Holy Trinity - John 8:48-59

Holy Trinity Sunday – May 26th, 2013
Messiah, La Crescent, MN
"Do You Know God?"

Friends, do you know God?  Now don't answer too quickly.  In light of our Gospel reading from John 8, it's a question worth pondering.  The Pharisees thought they knew God, but Jesus said they didn't.  But he does.  He calls them liars.  He confesses the truth.

Today, who does know God, and for that matter how do we know him and what do we know about him?  Who is God, anyway?  Which god are we talking about?  Buddha?  Allah?  Yahweh?  Is there a difference?  Are they all the same?

All of these questions are also important and appropriate on Trinity Sunday, in which we confess the Triune God, the God who is three and also one.  We take great pains to confess what Scripture teaches about this mystery, but not to go a step further than God's word goes.  So we know God by his word, and by the word that we confess in our creeds.

In many and various ways God spoke to our fathers of old.  But now in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.  Jesus.  Jesus is the exact image of the Father.  He says here, “before Abraham was, I am”.  He claims the name of Yahweh.  Perhaps the clearest confession of his own divinity in all of Scripture.  So if you want to see the Father, look to Jesus.  “No one comes to the Father but by me”, Jesus says.  And anyone who has seen him has seen the Father.  And through Jesus we have access to the Father, are adopted as sons by the Father, receive an inheritance from the Father.

So too with the Spirit.  If you want to know the Spirit's will, look to the words of Christ.  For there the Spirit will always lead you.  If you want to know the Spirit's power, it is found in the words and promises of Christ, in the Gospel, in the forgiveness of sins won at the cross and poured out at the font and served to you in the meal.  Here the Spirit works, to bring us Christ, and to therefore bring us life.

We act as if we don't know all of this.  We act as if we don't know God.  We neglect and despise the Father, by abusing and taking for granted the manifold gifts of his creation.  We think we sit over it, as if it is our own – lording our dominion over created things instead of seeking to be faithful stewards.  It's my money, not yours, God.  I earned it.  It's my body, I'll do what I want with it.  It's not your temple, created and redeemed.  And so we tear away at life, and sin even against the people God creates for us to share a life together – our own family.  We misuse our reason and senses.  We live thankslessly.  For these sins of the first article, forgive us, oh Father!

But we sin also against God the Son.  When we would shove Jesus off the cross to make ourselves the martyr, as if our own petty sacrifices carried nearly enough value to pay the price.  When we glorify ourselves as savior or as partner in salvation – Jesus did his part, now I've got to do mine.  This steals the glory that is rightly his for being the only sacrifice worthy, the only one strong enough to save, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  But we would often prefer the god of me, who explains away the sins of my own.

And we sin against the Spirit.  Yes we despise the gifts he brings.  We get bored with the Holy Word of God.  We are jaded at the table when receiving the very flesh and blood of Christ.  We ignore the guidance and direction the Spirit would give us, deciding it's more important to go have brunch at the diner.

Who knows God?  Certainly not the Jews with their manmade laws and legalisms.  Who knows God?  Certainly not the tax collectors and prostitutes with their greed and impurity.  What sinner of any time and place can claim to know God.  Not even Lutherans.  Not even pastors.  Not even you or I.

But he knows us.  He knows us, of course, for he knows all things.  He knows your sins – the ones that burden you, and the ones you don't even realize you do.  He knows what you should be doing that you don't, and don't even know.

But he chooses to know us in mercy.  To know us so well as to become one of us.  To know our sorrows, our griefs.  Jesus comes to know God's wrath over sin so that we would know it not.  He swallows up death so that we would not see or even taste it, and he invites us to know it, and to know him, through his word.

Knowing God isn't so much about knowing him, as it is about being known by him.  He knows us, for he created us.  And he knows our flesh is fallen.  He knows our need for salvation, and provides for it in Christ.  He knows we need his comfort and guidance and peace, and so he sends us the Spirit, who brings us to know Christ through his word.

Abraham knew it – by faith.  And we too, children of Abraham, by faith.  We know the true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The one God who creates and redeems and sanctifies.  The coeternal, triune, undivided majesty.  The one who was “I am” before Abraham ever was, and the one who will be forever and ever.

We don't know him in the sense that we understand him.  He is far above and beyond that.  But we know what he tells us of himself, and that from his word.  What we know, we confess.  What we confess, we believe and teach.

And there are those that do not know, who have not heard, who have yet to believe.  To them we also confess.  For Christ would know them too.  They are friends and neighbors close to us, who live as men without hope.  They are strangers in far off lands who are lost in falsehoods and the devil's snares.  They are people created by the Father, for whom Jesus bled and died, and who the Spirit would call to faith through the Gospel.  We pray that in some small way the Triune God would use us in service to them.

So back to our original question.  Do you know God?  Maybe we could answer this way.  According to my sinful flesh, I don't know him at all.  But in Christ, God has known me in mercy.  In the Spirit he creates me anew, to know him and serve him and love and trust him forever.  It's not so much that you know him, but that he makes himself known to you in Jesus Christ.  To him be all the glory, with the Father and the Spirit, this Trinity Sunday and always, One God, forever, Amen.

Sermon – Easter 6 – Numbers 21:4-9

May 5th, 2013

St. John's and Trinity Lutheran Church, Suring, WI

"Look to the Cross"

What was the sin of the Israelites? They were ungrateful for God's blessings. And when suffering began, even a relatively mild suffering, the started to complain. They even complained ABOUT the blessings God had bestowed. Look what he had done:

He gave them Moses, a deliverer – someone raised in the royal courts of Pharaoh and uniquely qualified to stand before the most powerful man in the world as a spokesman.

He sent plagues to the Egyptians – not one, but ten! And each one more terrible than the last, until finally Pharaoh relented and let the people go. Oh, and by the way, through all these plagues on their enemies, the Lord kept the Israelites free from any of it. He even passed over their homes when the blood of the firstborn would be shed.

And when Pharaoh finally did let the people go, they didn't just go, the Egyptians sent them packing with gold and treasures and provisions. They weren't just freed from slavery, it was like winning a glorious battle, and they didn't even shed a drop of blood.

He brought them through the Red Sea in miraculous fashion. He brought them to his Holy Mountain and gave them the law. He designed an entire system of sacrifice by which their sins could be dealt with (and which pointed to the deeper reality of a once and for all sacrifice yet to come).

And if that wasn't enough, he made their clothing and shoes to not wear out, and he fed them each day with the miraculous bread from heaven – manna.

For all this they were ungrateful, they murmured, grumbled, complained.

Dear friends in Christ, have you had this experience – when life throws something your way, some challenge, some trouble, some problem to complain about.... and just when you wonder why the Lord is letting it happen, it gets ten times worse?

“Oh Lord, I don't think I can handle this. It's too big for me, it's too much.” And it seems as if he says, “Oh yeah? Watch this!”

But how quickly do we, like the Israelites, forget all his benefits? How little it takes to make us blame God for our troubles, rather than look in the mirror. How often we would grumble, murmur, and complain about even the good things he gives us which we totally don't deserve.

And just as the Israelites had the audacity to complain about being freed from slavery and even about the food that he provided them (like he owed them anything at all!), don't we often do the same about even the greatest gifts he gives us? I've got better things to do than study the Bible. Oh, church was too long today. The sermon was boring. The pastor is a so-and-so. But here God feeds you, cares for you, proclaims your salvation in Christ. And yet how quick to forget, neglect, and despise even these gifts.

God sent serpents, venomous snakes into the Israelite camp. But this was a call to repentance. Turn from your grumbling, wicked ways, you thankless Israelites. You think you had it bad before!

God would call us all to repentance as well. Pray that he sends pastors instead of snakes to call for repentance. Pray that by his grace, you can see the troubles of this world, the misfortunes and disasters, the suffering and pain with the eyes of faith. That these things would lead you again and again to repent. That these things would remind you again and again of the one who truly suffered, who suffered all, even for you.

The Lord is merciful. He gave the Israelites a means of his grace. Moses made the bronze serpent on the pole, and all who looked to it lived. Forgiveness. Peace with God.

Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
So Jesus, our bronze serpent, who crushed the head of the ancient serpent the devil, takes the venom of our sins, and dies the death we deserve. Jesus, the great physician of body and soul, renews in us a right spirit, and promises us a resurrection like his.
So look to him, and look to his cross.

If you think the world is wicked, look to the cross.
If you fear for your soul, under the weight of your sins, look to the cross.
If you suffer physically, if your heart despairs, if grief and loss are known to you, look to the cross.

Are you ashamed of what you've done? Look to the cross.
Do you try to do better, but always fail? Look to the cross.
Do your desires betray you; does your heart yearn for evil; do you feel at war with your flesh?
Look to the cross.
Does death frighten you, or what lay beyond? Look to the cross.

Look upon the cross of Jesus Christ. And there see your salvation. See the world's salvation. See the death of death itself. See the Father's anger set aside. See the warfare between God and man turn to peace. See the Christ, who takes all your fear, guilt, shame, despair, suffering, betrayal, wickedness, lust and sin – all that is bad, wicked and evil. And see ultimate good in his ultimate suffering.

Look to the cross, this day. And see Christ. For all, and for you.

And look today to the meal that Christ provides you. Like manna, miraculous food from heaven, though simple and earthly to the senses. Like manna, food in the wilderness of this life, food that sustains us for the journey. Like manna, we may wonder, "what is it?" - but we have only to confess it is what he says it is, and a mystery at that.

But unlike manna, here, the true Bread of Heaven, the body of Christ himself, and his life-blood shed to give you new life. Here, now, today. So look, and see, and hear his words, and take and eat and drink and live.