Sermon - Reformation Day (Observed) - Romans 3:19-28

Romans 3:19-28
“Reformation Superlatives”

A Blessed Reformation Day to you.  We commemorate this year, as every year, the beginning of the great Reformation of the church in the year 1517, when on October 31st, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther sparked a firestorm by posting 95 statements for debate, or theses, on the church door of Wittenberg, Germany.  It could have been easily forgotten but for the theological issue it raised – which struck at the very heart of Christian teaching. 

Truth be told, Luther himself didn’t quite see it so clearly at first.  He mainly knew that the sale of God’s forgiveness by indulgences was untenable.  But as he got blowback for raising his complaints, he dug deeper into the Holy Scriptures, and eventually re-discovered the very Gospel itself.  It had never gone away entirely, of course.  After all, the Gospel is an eternal Gospel as we read in Revelation 14 today.  But the truth had been obscured, muddied, and polluted with man-made teachings that took away from the clarity and and therefore the comfort of Scripture.

In the final analysis, it wasn’t Luther, or any of the reformers that are the real heroes of the story, but rather the Holy Spirit who worked through the Word of God.  And one of the most important passages for the Reformation, and for the Christian faith itself, is found in Romans 3, our Epistle for today.

Paul’s letter to the Romans is really the New Testament’s book of Christian Doctrine 101.  Apart from the Gospels, it may even be considered the chief book of the New Testament.  And here in Chapter 3, Paul gets to the heart of the faith – after building up for the first few chapters a case about just how bad off we are in our sins – now, chapter 3 is the turning point.  It is the great revealing of the righteousness of God that comes by grace through faith.  The refrain of the reformation is our refrain today.  Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

There’s so much here to talk about, so many riches to mine from God’s word in this passage.  Today, I’d like to focus on one little word, a key word in the text:  “all”.  And related to that, the superlative claims made by Paul as he teaches us what this faith is all about:  All have sinned.  All have fallen short.  But all are jusfitied freely by grace through faith in Christ.  Let’s consider today the Reformation Superlatives of Romans 3.

All have sinned.  All.  All people.  All individuals, all groups, all races, all stations.  Every last human being that ever was or will be, that descends from Adam – bears Adam’s sin.  We both inherit it and participate in it. 

This includes the “whole world” – believers and unbelievers alike.  Whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not.  You have a sin problem.  All have sinned.  It’s a superlative claim.  There is no exception (besides Jesus Christ himself).

And he also says that the law, therefore, stops every mouth.  Every mouth.  All of them.  There is no one that can say a word in excuse of their own sin.  There is no rationalization or explanation, no fancy argument we can use to squiggle or squirm out of the law’s accusation.  It exposes us entirely, thoroughly, through-and-through for the sinners we are.  We are not just mostly bad or somewhat culpable.  This problem goes to our very core. The corruption is complete.  We wreak of death.  All of us.  Everyone.

And anything else someone may claim about our predicament is just a plain old lie.  Whether they say you can buy your way out of the law with money, or good works, or the right lineage, or a firm commitment.  The law won’t have any of it.  The law shows your sin, and now amount of human effort can divert that pointing finger of accusation.  We are dead to rights.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  And yet there is still hope.

There’s another superlative.  Just as all have sinned and fall short, so too all are “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”.  And here is the blessed, sweet, pure and free Gospel.

All are justified!  A superlative.  There is no one that Jesus leaves out of his saving work.  There is no one who is not redeemed – bought and paid for – by the blood of Christ.  All are included.  Everyone. 

Every tribe, nation, people and language.  Every rank and station of men and women, young and old, rich and poor, slave or free – there is no distinction when it comes to the Gospel.  Every human being under the law, sinner though he is, should rejoice in the redemption God has prepared for us in Jesus Christ.

Only Jesus could do it, of course.  Only he had the perfect righteousness that God’s law demands.  Only he could lay down his life as a sacrifice, fully sufficient, once-and-for-all.  “For God so loved the WORLD…”, that means everyone in it.  “Make disciples of ALL nations”, Jesus says. 
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, Peter preached, for the forgiveness of your sins.”
God desires ALL to be saved, and come to the knowledge of truth.

How all-encompassing and entirely thorough and full and freely given is the grace of God in Jesus Christ!

And if the Gospel is for ALL, then the Gospel is for YOU.  No sin is too dark or deep.  No guilt can keep you out of the boundaries of his grace.  No skeleton in your closet puts you outside of the “all are justified”.  Nothing disqualifies you from salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

But wait, there’s more!  It’s not just that it is given TO everyone, but the grace of God itself is a superlative.  For by grace God accomplishes our salvation in its entireity.  You bring nothing to the table.  Jesus brings everything.  You have nothing but sin.  He gives you everything by grace.

That’s exactly what grace is.  It means you do nothing, God does everything for you in Jesus Christ.  You don’t save yourself, in whole, or in part.  Jesus is the one and only Savior.  And thanks be to God that he is!  For I would be a terrible savior of myself.  I could never fully trust in my own devices, my own commitment, my own reason or strength.  But the blood of Jesus?  That’s the stuff!  His sacrificial death on the cross for me?  That does the job.  And it is certainly, surely, 100% enough!  It is the superlative salvation that only he could accomplish.

But what about good works, then?  Aren’t they important?  This was, and is, of course, the objection of many who would limit the “all” of salvation by grace.  Surely my own good works must count for something!  Surely I can boast a little, that I contribute something, that I can do something, even a little, to take part in this salvation!  Ah, Paul would say no.  Boasting is excluded.  Entirely.  Your good works of the law are are not part of your justification.  They don’t make you good or right or holy.  Jesus does all of that.  He does the saving.  You have nothing to boast about, except what he has done for you.

This is not to say that we don’t do, or encourage, or teach good works – those are also false accusations lobbed at the Reformers, and even at Lutherans today.  Of course the Christian does good works.  These are the fruits of faith.  But they are not the cause.  They flow from the faith that saves us, the good works themselves count for nothing.  Or as Luther once put it, “God doesn’t need your good works, but our neighbor does”.

A blessed Reformation day to you.  May all of you sinners rejoice in the all-availing sacrifice of Christ, and be comforted again today, by the superlative grace by which we are saved through faith.  His salvation is for all, and that means it is also for you.  And let us ever confess that he has done it all, that it is by grace you are saved, not by works of the law.  Thanks be to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Sermon - 19th Sunday after Pentecost - Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1-8

“Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart”

Today Luke tells us a parable from Jesus and begins with the desired effect:  that we should always pray and not lose heart.  It’s easy to lose heart in this sin-filled, broken-down, world of sorrows.  Many Christians are tempted to abandon the faith when the going gets tough, or at least to shirk our prayers when it seems like they are falling on divinely deaf ears.

Jesus’ words today, and the parable of the Persistent Widow show us something different.  We should not lose heart.  And Luke says this not as a “shame-on-you-if-you-lose-heart”.  But rather, a powerful word of encouragement.  A reminder of the true nature of the God to whom we pray, and a promise regarding the effectiveness of our prayers.  Faith doesn’t see as the eyeball sees.  Faith sees what is unseen.  Faith hearkens to the words of Christ, even when everything appears otherwise.

So what’s going on in this parable? 

We are told about the judge that he “neither feared God nor respected man”.  So he was kind of a creep.  Some even name this parable, the Parable of the Unrighteous Judge.  It makes it all the worse that he’s in a position of public trust – he has no particular moral compass – either with respect to God or man.  And so he is untrustworthy and unreliable.  And yet he seems the only option this poor widow has.

This widow has some kind of issue – we don’t know what it is, exactly, but it doesn’t matter.  She wants a ruling from this judge, against her adversary.  She wants justice.

Justice! I think we can relate to that yearning, for we too live in a world of injustice.  Most of us are probably not involved in a formal court case, looking for civil or criminal justice.  That’s not what this is really about.  That’s the earthly story, not the heavenly meaning here.

And we don’t mean “social justice” either, the kind of politically correct posturing and victimhood claims that some contend for in certain quarters of our world.

Rather, we mean the kind of injustice the Psalmist often cried out in response to.  Why do the wicked prosper, and the righteous perish?  Why does there seem to be so much WRONG in this world?  Why do the good people, the righteous see evil, and the unrighteous never seem to pay for their evil deeds? 

For example: Why does the person who’s never smoked a day in their lives get terminal lung cancer, and the life-long smoker lives into their 90s?  Why does the person who faithfully arrives on time every day, does their job, never complains, and goes above and beyond – why does that one get passed over for the promotion and the slacker who just happens to be the bosses’ favorite gets the job? 

Why does the law of the land seem to favor the lazy, the cowardly, the ungodly, the rich and powerful over against the poor, the godly, the hard workers, and especially the most vulnerable?

And to make matters worse, not only does injustice seem to so often prevail, but the prayers of the faithful seem, to outward appearances, to have little effect.  How many prayers have gone unanswered, at least from the perspective of the pray-er?  How often have our cries and pleas gotten us nowhere, or at least so it has seemed?  How long, O Lord?  Don’t you hear me?  Aren’t you listening?

Take heart, Christian.  All is not as it seems.  We have a judge to hear our case, who is far better than the unrighteous scoundrel of the parable.  And he encourages us to be faithful, to be persistent, to veritably pester him with our prayers.  And he promises to hear and answer.

So often Jesus’ teaching flies in the face of our worldly experience, and goes even contrary to what we would expect.  The first shall be last and the last shall be first.  Whoever is least in the kingdom is the greatest.  And so on.

But here the argument is what we might call, “From the lesser to the Greater”.  That is, if something is true in an earthly sense, with a worldly example, here is a case where it is even more so with the heavenly reality.

We think of Jesus’ comparison of an earthly father, who though wicked, knows how to give good gifts to his children – and won’t give a scorpion when asked for an egg, or a serpent instead of a fish.  Jesus then concludes, “how much more will your Heavenly Father give us good things?”

If persistence pays off in earthly matters, with the things below, how much more will the prayers of the faithful avail answer from the giver of all good things?  If bothering an earthly judge who cares nothing for what is right, and cares not a whit for you – can possibly get you an answer – then how much more your faithful appeals to the loving and kind, merciful and mighty one?  Answer – so much more!

But it also works from the greater-to-the-lesser. Consider the words of Paul in Romans 8, in which he asks a rhetorical question, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”  In other words, if God went to all the trouble of sending his own beloved Son to die for us, how will he not do everything else good for us?  Since he has given us his most dear, most precious, one-and-only, how can he refuse that which is a far lesser request?

But still, we don’t see it.  And so he encourages us to be persistent, and not lose heart.  God answers prayers in his time, and in his way.  He answers them with our best interests in mind.  He answers according to his own counsel, and not our own limited definition of what is best.

And if the unjust judge will give relief just to get the pesky widow out of his hair – how much more will the just and merciful judge of all, our good and gracious Father – how much more will he answer us, and give us good things, and the justice we so desire.

In one sense he already has.  For he has sent us his Son, Jesus Christ.  And Jesus suffers the ultimate injustice, the innocent of innocents – betrayed into the hands of sinful man.  Jesus the blameless victim takes all blame, pays the ultimate price, and so satisfies God’s wrath and justice in himself.  Jesus, by his cross, so that God may be just and the one who justifies.

In the cross, Jesus answers all wrongs, and makes all things right and good and new.  Any sorrow or trouble or injustice we face is now only temporary.  The ultimate victory is ours.  Even death is destroyed by Christ’s death.  And so all of our prayers are answered in Jesus.

But there is still a payoff yet to come.  Here we wait, in the time between.  Here in these last days, Christ reigns and rules all things from his throne at God’s right hand – and yet he hasn’t returned just yet to be the final judge of all.  Then, on that day, we will see every scale evened, every claim settled, accounts reconciled, and the final reward will be ours.  Then and there, the one true Righteous Judge will make all things new and right once again.  There and then all prayers are answered and finally fulfilled. 

Jesus has this in mind with his final comment, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”  A probing question which challenges us to remain faithful to the end – so that we can answer, “yes!”  You will find faith – for we trust in you, and we will, to the very end. 

And so, we take heart.  And so, we persist in our faith, and in faith’s voice of prayer.  We dare even to pester God with our petitions and requests.  We pray for all good things, just as he has taught us, and place our trust in God to grant us all good things through Jesus Christ.  We don’t give up when the prayers seem futile.  Rather, we press on, enduring to the end.  For we know the One to whom we pray, and he is faithful, and he will do it.  We know him through his Son our Savior, and he will not let us down.  Take heart, Christian.  Persist in your prayer! 

Sermon - 18th Sunday after Pentecost - 2 Timothy 2:1-13

2 Timothy 2:1-13

“Remember Jesus Christ”

Paul’s young protégé’ Timothy was certainly dear to the apostle.  We in the church are blessed to have 2 letters that Paul wrote to Timothy, with all manner of helpful instruction and encouragement.  Much of this concerns the pastoral office in which Timothy served, shepherding the congregation at Ephesus.  But it does, of course, bear broader application.

Timothy was a dear friend and traveling companion of Paul’s, and his name appears as the co-author on 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon.  Paul wrote to the Philippians about Timothy, "I have no one like him".

Last week we heard a reading just prior to this one, in which Paul also commended the faith of Timothy – which he credited to his mother and grandmother.  All in all you could say that Timothy was a faithful companion, a diligent laborer in the kingdom, and a good soldier.  Indeed, Paul calls him, “my child”.

Which may make it seem strange that Paul spends so much time and ink to encourage him.  Here in the first paragraph of our reading, Paul encourages Timothy especially in his vocation of teaching.  Entrusting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to other faithful men, so that it may be passed on and that many would be saved. 

And while you and I may have different vocations, some of us pastors, some soldiers, some farmers, some athletes:  or around here it’s more like, some IT guys, some engineers, some accountants, and some more engineers….  And a few more engineers…  Nonetheless we all share in the calling or vocation as “Christian”. 

And as such, we too can learn something of that from the suffering soldier, who keeps himself about his business.  We, too, can look to the athlete who competes in an honorable way, according to the rules, and to the hard-working farmer, whose labor and patience pay off when the crops are harvested.  All of these are good examples with applications for young pastor Timothy.  But they have a broader application to all Christians:  Be serious about your vocation, and aim to please your superiors.  Play by the rules.  Work hard.  Be patient.  And think over the advice and wisdom of those in a position to teach you – and you will grow in the fear and knowledge of God.  All of these are Christian things to do.

Most of this, though, is law-talk.  It is exhortation to Christian living, which is good and helpful, but is only part of the story.  The law also, always, accuses us – even when the law-giver may be trying to be helpful and encouraging – because we sinners never meet a law we don’t break.  Am I serious and focused on the callings God places before me?  Do I work hard, patiently, and follow all the rules?  Or am I lazy and rebellious and impatient and so on?  No, the law can’t be the only word of encouragement, for by itself, it is no encouragement at all.

Paul never strays too far from the basis for our living, and for our life:  the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And so in the next section he lays it forth beautifully, and even, eventually, poetically.

But more than anything, Paul encourages Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ”.  That’s really the keynote of this passage. If we remember anything -  Remember Jesus Christ. 

For the people of the ancient world, “remembering” was far more than recalling facts and figures – a simple mental exercise in which our brain engages, pulls something out of the old files, and regurgitates it for our use.  Remembering is far more than that.  It means to hold fast and cherish.  It means to, in a sense, relive the past in a broader way than the merely intellectual.  And it means action, too.

And so too when scripture speaks of God remembering, i.e., when God “remembers his mercy”,  it moves him to action, to actually BE merciful.  When he “remembers his promises” (it’s not like he ever forgot them), “he remembers” them means he is about to fulfill them.  When we pray, “Jesus, remember me” like the prayer of the thief on the cross – Jesus doesn’t just think nice thought about you – but this kind of “remembering” does something – it saves us.

So, also, for the Christian to “remember” is more than an intellectual recall – it’s faith talk.  It’s the clinging to and trusting in the promises of God. 

For instance, when we observe the Lord’s Supper and “do this in remembrance”, it’s far more than just a memorial to Jesus, a thing of the past simply acknowledged – it is an ongoing testament, and a real-time and real-space real presence of his body and blood there for us in the meal. 

Paul says, “Remember Jesus Christ… risen from the dead”!  Yes, place your hope and faith and trust again and always in the Christ who rose from the dead.  This is not just any Christ, mind you, but the one who conquered death and left it in the dust.  The one who destroys the last and greatest enemy we must all face.  The one who takes the sting of death away by forgiving our sins and takes the fear of death away by promising a place for us in his Father’s house.  Remember Jesus is the firstborn of the dead, the first of many, for many who sleep in dust will rise and in Christ will shine like stars in a glorious resurrection like his.

Remember Jesus Christ… offspring of David.  The shoot that came up from the stump of Jess.  The temple that was built from the shabby tatters of David’s fallen tent.  The long promised heir to the throne of David, that is, a king to rule and protect the people of God.  The one promised and delivered, prophesied and fulfilled.  The babe of Bethlehem and the receiver of Hosannas.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  And his throne and reign shall endure forever. 

Remember Jesus Christ… the one preached by St. Paul, and by every preacher of the Gospel.  For in Jesus Christ is the good news of all good news – the forgiveness of sins by his blood, the destruction of death by his death, the the promise of life in his life.  Jesus who preached the kingdom of God and also fulfilled it in himself.  Jesus who declared, “it is finished” and completed his mission for us.  Remember this Jesus, and all that he has done for us, and still does for us.  Remember Jesus Christ.

And though Paul was imprisoned for preaching this Jesus, and suffered for the same, and though many other preachers and Christians of all stripes and ranks, of all nations and times have faced persecution and danger and sword for the sake of Christ – yet Paul still encourages.  He still remains hopeful.  He knows the Word of God is not bound, for it really never can be bound. 

And remembering Jesus Christ, and only then, can Paul encourage Timothy toward endurance.  “Endure everything for the sake of the elect”.  There is a purpose and aim in our Christian vocation – and it is for the sake of others that we endure suffering. 

And these final words from Paul, scholars believe, were from a hymn:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him;

if we deny him, he also will deny us;

if we are faithless, whe remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself.

So, Christians, take this encouragement from St. Paul, meant for Timothy, but useful for us all.  Remember Jesus Christ!  And live out your vocation – first as a Christiain, and then in whatever role he has placed you.

Die with him in baptism, and so live with him.  Die with him by carrying your cross, and so live by his cross.

Don’t deny him, but confess him, be faithful to him who is always faithful.

For he cannot deny himself, but he will remember and be faithful to his promises.  

So you, too, Remember Jesus Christ, and endure to the end in him.  Amen.

Sermon - 17th Sunday after Pentecost - Luke 17:1-10

Luke 17:1-10

“The Implications of Faith”

Faith is great.  We know that we Christians are saved by grace, through faith in Christ.  Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the certainty of things unseen.  Faith is a gift.  Faith, hope and love – three great Christian virtues.  And faith, even the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains.

Today, as Jesus teaches his disciples on the way to Jerusalem, we hear him delving deeper into just what this faith means for our life together as Christians.  For living in the faith means a different kind of life than outside the faith, with the unbelievers.  If we believe in Jesus, if we follow Jesus, then certain things are to be expected; certain things will follow.  Let’s look at this passage which may seem at first to be an eclectic mix of disjointed ideas – but really has St. Luke, and Jesus, teaching us some of the implications of faith in Christ.

For starters, a warning.  Temptations to sin are sure to come – even to those of us in the faith!  And while we are not enslaved to sin any longer, Jesus concedes that we can still fall into temptation.  So that’s the first warning – to watch not only for sin, but the very temptation to sin. 

Even more sternly, Jesus warns us about being a temptation to others.  Causing others to sin.  Woe to that one!  It’s one thing to sin all by yourself, but sinners love company in their sin.  It may make you feel less culpable.  “Hey, look, everyone else is doing it!  I’m not the only one, it must not be so bad!”  And whether the sin that you’re recruiting others for is gossip or laziness or despising of God’s word or any other sin – don’t be fooled.  Sin is worse when you lead others to it, especially little ones – either children, or those who are weak in the faith.  Watch yourselves!  Jesus warns.  Tempting others to sin is no small matter.  It brings woe.  It would be better to be tied to a millstone and cast into the sea.  It is, truly, damnable.

And if that pokes some holes in your conscience today, well it probably should.  For which of us shouldn’t be lined up for our own millstone?  Who doesn’t, by their sin, deserve their own measure of woes?  But the same Jesus who dishes out the woe came to take it.  The same Jesus who warns of sin’s great consequences is the Jesus who absorbs them into himself.  Woe to the one who causes another to sin.  But thanks be to the One, who by his death, frees us from the woe of sin and judgment.

Next, Jesus talks about forgiving our brothers.  If he sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.  It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  But hard to practice.  Hard to have the courage to speak a word of rebuke.  Rebuking isn’t for polite society.  It’s not good dinner conversation.  But life in the faith is different. Christians march to a different tune than the world.  And so we are called by Jesus to rebuke – though, gently if possible, as Paul encourages Timothy.  And the goal, of course, is not to demean and drive away the sinner, but to elicit repentance and reconciliation.  “If he repents, forgive him”.  That’s the goal.  That’s the desire.  Even seven times in a day – or in other places Jesus says 70x7 – forgiveness is unlimited.  Christians don’t keep score against each other.  For we know how the score stands with ourselves.

How many times, how many sins does God above forgive you each day, dear Christian?  Certainly more than 7.  Certainly without demanding you enumerate and verbally confess each and every sin of thought word and deed.  If we did that, or even tried, we’d never do anything else but confess!  So deep and thorough is our own sin.  But so high and all-encompassing is God’s forgiveness in Christ.  That all our sins are covered – 7, 70x7, 7 trillion zillion.  All washed away in baptism, and in the blood of Christ.  And so how can we not forgive so freely?  How can we hold our brother’s sins over him?

We saw a beautiful example of this in this week’s news – when the brother of a murder victim spoke words of forgiveness in Christ to the woman who killed his brother.  He even embraced her in a hug before she was taken off to serve her sentence.  Now here we see the implications of faith in a most poignant way – forgiving what some would think unforgivable.  But that’s just a shade of Christ’s forgiveness for each of us.

Sounds pretty difficult, though.  Avoiding sin, not tempting others, rebuking and forgiving our brothers who sin.  Jesus sets the bar so high.  And you get the idea that the disciples were feeling the same.  Who can live up to these expectations, Lord?  Who has such a great faith?  And so they pray, “Lord, increase our faith!” Not a bad prayer.   

Much like the prayer of the man whose son was plagued by a demon – the one who prayed, “I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!”  Friends, it is these kinds of prayers that God always answers with a yes.  For we know his will, he has revealed it to us – and it is just that – that we would have faith, and more of it.

We pray similarly after communion, “…that of your mercy you would strengthen us through the same (that is, through this sacrament), in faith toward you…. And in fervent love toward one another”.  Strengthen our faith, Lord!  And he does!

And to what end?  What does faith do when it grasps on, ever so tightly, to the promises of God?  I does amazing things.  Things you’d never expect.  Jesus here must have been walking by a mulberry bush, and used it as a handy example – “if you had faith – even a little faith – like the grain of a mustard seed - you could say to this bush to be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey you!”  Ah, but that’s not what faith is interested in, showing off, doing tricks.  Rather something even more amazing – saving sinners.  Grasping grace.  Making the words and promises of God our own.  Even saving us, to life eternal.

Nor is faith about measuring faith.  Faith trusts not in itself, but in its object, Christ and his word.  Faith doesn’t look inward, but outward.  Faith looks to Christ and him crucified, and there finds its assurance, its hope, its fulfillment.

And finally faith has fruits.  Faith produces works.  Faith prompts and effects in us the fulfillment of our duty as the servants of God.  Of course we are always careful to say, as scripture does, we are not saved by those works, but by grace through faith.  But we also know that faith without works is dead.

But in much the same way that faith doesn’t look inwardly at itself, faith also doesn’t keep score about one’s good works.  It’s like the servants in Jesus’ example.  They do their duty – without care or concern, without thought of gain or reward.  They do all that is asked of them, and then simply say, “look, we’ve only done our duty”. 

In a world of entitlement mentality, what a breath of fresh air are the good works that flow from faith.  In a milieu of “what’s-in-it-for-me?”, the Christian faith asks a radically different, “How can I serve God and my neighbor?”

Consider the story Jesus tells of the sheep and the goats – in which he praises the sheep for their good works – visiting the prisoner, the sick, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, doing all this good to the least of these, and in essence, doing it unto Christ himself.  But the sheep answer in bewilderment, “when did we do all this to you?”  You see they weren’t keeping score.  Their deeds flowed from faith.  Their works weren’t some spectacle for the world to see, but they were simply doing their duty.

So you, dear Christian, go and do likewise.  Live out all the implications of faith – avoiding temptation, and never causing others to stumble.  Confessing your own sins, and receiving Christ’s forgiveness, only to forgive also those who trespass against you.  Grow in your faith, and pray that you would ever more.  And in all you good deeds, simply do your duty, to the glory of God and good of your neighbor.   All for the sake of faith, faith in Christ, that great gift and blessing.  Amen.

Sermon - St. Michael and All Angels - Matthew 18:1-11

Matthew 18:1-11

“Greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven”

Ask most Christians familiar with the Bible about Matthew 18, and they will tell you it’s the forgiveness chapter.  You know, “When your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault just between the two fo you” and “how many times should I forgive my brother, 7?  No, 70x7”.

But we forget there’s a lot more packed in here.  The forgiveness emphasis is in the last part of the chapter.  Here in the beginning the question surrounds what is greatness in the kingdom of God?  And in answer, Jesus discusses the place of children in His kingdom.

Also, today is St. Michael and All Angels day – and so we have that topic to weave in to our proclamation. 

I suppose some might have tried to answer the question, “Who’s the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” by answering: the angels!  Yes, the mighty spiritual beings that comprise the heavenly armies of God!  Michael, the Archangel, perhaps, is the greatest!  He threw Satan down from Heaven, so he must be pretty great, right?  And all the other angels.  Powerful and glorious beings. 

You know, angels in the Bible are not the soft and gentle creatures they’ve been depicted as in modern times – precious moments figurines and babies with wings spreading rainbows upon butterflies.  No, angels are the soldiers, the heavenly special forces of God – they wield flaming swords and their voices shake the building.  They are not to be trifled with.  A great prince among the angels, Michael is shown, in Daniel 10 and Revelation 12 – as the general of these forces, who casts Satan down from heaven at God’s command. 

Angels are also the messengers of God, and they appear in Scripture especially when God’s plan of salvation takes a major step forward.  They are particularly associated with Jesus – they sing at his birth, they adorn his empty tomb.  They minister to him in wilderness and garden.

It’s probably a good thing that the angels remain hidden, unseen, for the most part.  Otherwise, we humans might be tempted to accord them the greatness of God, make them into idols, or at the very least a major distraction from the God whom we both serve.  Even St. John, when he saw a mighty angel in his vision, and bowed down to worship – “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” (Rev. 19:10)

And so, in our Gospel reading today, when someone asks about greatness, Jesus doesn’t produce an angel, or make reference to St. Michael.  He plops a child in their midst.  And he talks about humility.  Humility is greatness in his kingdom.

It’s not hard to see how our culture has elevated children in all the wrong ways – placing them on a pedestal of innocence, as if they have no original sin.  Parents letting children run the show, make the decisions, determine their own religion, their own school, even their own gender.  Children are less and less disciplined and more and more idolized and this is not good for the world and it is not good for those children.

But rather, look at what children lack – knowledge.  Strength.  Wisdom.  The means to support themselves.  It is in these humble characteristics Jesus sees the qualities to be admired in his kingdom.  For when we come to him, and to his Father with such humility – admitting our own lack of wisdom and strength, then we can receive him on his own terms.  Then we know the grace and mercy that flow from the truly great one.

Jesus is, of course, the greatest in the kingdom.  He humbles himself most profoundly, even unto death, even death upon a cross.  He makes himself the lowest, the nothing, the servant of all, even of children.

And where the world would alternately esteem children in all the wrong ways and despise children for all the wrong reasons, Jesus holds a special place for children.  He says receiving a child in his name means receiving him.  And woe to the one who would lead a little child to sin – but rather we ought to protect and nurture and teach our children well. 

And then, as a sort of an aside, Jesus discusses temptation.  It is a dangerous thing!  It’s sure to come.  It’s even necessary.  But woe to the one through whom temptation comes! 

Some would say Jesus simply speaks in hyperbole about cutting off hands and feet and poking out eyes that cause us to sin.  That he’s using exaggerated language to make a point.  But I submit here, it’s just the opposite.  If you really could have 100% assurance of eternal salvation, wouldn’t it be worth your hands, your eyes, your feet?  Ah, if it were only that simple.  To take Jesus’ point one step further, it’s our whole nature that causes us to sin.  It’s out of the heart that comes all sorts of evil, he says.  And who can live without a heart?  So would we cut our entire selves off?  Would we, indeed, die – in order to be free of sin?

Yes!  That’s exactly it!  We must die and be reborn.  We must be baptized, and buried with Christ, only to be raised with him.  We must count ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  You see the Christian faith and life is not a matter of refurbishment, refreshment, slap some new paint on that old barn and cover up the wear and tear.  Rather, Christ makes us entirely new through death and resurrection.  Brand new – even like a little child.

And Jesus, for his part, He himself is cut off – cut off from God, and from life – to make this life ours.  He gives himself entirely – eyes, hands, feet, head and heart – all of him goes to the cross for all of us.  All of him is thrown under the wrath of God so we are spared from the hell of fire.  All of him bears the millstone of guilt.  He is cast into the depths.  For all of us, adults and children, sinners alike.

And so Jesus circles back to the children at the end.  “Don’t despise one of these little ones.  For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”  And this statement is a fascinating claim indeed.

Some have taken this passage as foundation for the idea that people, especially children, have “guardian angels”.  And perhaps that is so – for angels are ministering spirits who serve God by serving us. 

Or maybe in a more general sense, it refers to the fact that the angels serve the people of God, and especially children.  And if you think the children are nothing, or you would despise the lowly children – remember that even they are served by the mighty angels who are so honored to see the face of God the Father – something no human has done or could do.

And this, too, disputes another popular misnomer about angels.  No, we Christians don’t become angels when we die.  Rather, in the resurrection we become the glorified humans we were meant by God to be.  We assume the fullness of the image of God – including the righteousness of Christ.  And we share, also, in a humanity with the very Son of God himself – and who will remain a human forever.  No mere angel can say that.  No angel, in Scripture, ever wears a crown.  But we humans are promised a share in the reign of our king.  So when our time comes, and the angels carry us home to heaven, we don’t become one of them, but rather we remain human and will remain so forever.

There is much more we could say about the angels – these messengers from on high.  And there is much more we could say about children – our role models for humility in the kingdom.  But on this Sunday of St. Michael and All Angels, let us find comfort in the God who appoints angels to our service, and regards even the little children – receiving them in his name.  Let us become always like those little children, humble and lowly before God.  And may we ever be found in Christ, the greatest of the kingdom, who makes himself low that we might be exalted.  Who comes to save us, who were lost.