Monthly Archives: September 2020

Preview – Sermon on Luke 7:11-17 for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Listen here.

Luke 7:11-17

11 Soon afterward [Jesus] went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

We didn’t get to do it enough (at least in person) this past Easter Season. So, since we live in the Easter Age, and since every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection…

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This whole text is a wonderful preview of what will happen later in Luke’s Gospel. Everything recorded for us in this text actually happened and is part of actual history, but this text is a beautiful preview.

Jesus approaches the little town of Nain which is in Galilee. Nain is about six miles south of Nazareth where Jesus grew up. Nain, the name of the town, means ‘pleasantness’ or ‘beautiful.’ Nain is on the slopes of a mountain. For those of you who have lived here in the Red River Valley your whole life, a mountain is like a dyke, but it isn’t there to prevent floods. A mountain is where the ground naturally goes up and up really high. It’s bigger than a dyke but isn’t man-made. Nain is on the lower slopes of Mt. Moreh, the same mountain where Gideon and his 300 men defeated the army of Midian with nothing but trumpets and torches in jars (Judges 7).

As Jesus and His entourage approach the gate of this beautiful town, our Lord encounters an ugly scene. Another large crowd is exiting the gate of the city. They follow a corpse carried by pallbearers on a bier which is an open coffin. Just behind the corpse, a widow is joined by most of the citizens of the town, and the corpse on that bier is the lifeless body of her ‘only begotten’ son (the same word used of Jesus in Jn. 3:16). The crowd is following her because the death of one member in the city is mourned by everyone in the city. And this death is particularly sad.

This poor woman is now absolutely alone with no one to provide for her. Her husband had already died, and in those days, she couldn’t just go out and get a job to provide for herself. After the death of his father, this son would have become the main source of hope and income for himself and his mother. But now, the son is dead, her hope is gone, and this woman is, according to Scripture, truly a widow (1 Tim. 5:3-5).

Proper etiquette would mean that Jesus and everyone following Him would move aside, get out of the way, and let this somber march of death pass by without interruption. But Christ, the Lord of Life, doesn’t yield. He doesn’t step aside for death. And so, these two crowds get mixed up and entangled there at the gate. It must have been quite a scene.

We need to pause here a minute. We talked last week about the Three Estates – the Church, the Family, and the State. If you didn’t hear that sermon, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to it because it is a helpful lens through which we can consider the world, what is going on around us, and how we are to serve God in Church, family, and state. And it is an idea I plan on pointing you back to regularly.

The gate where these two crowds meet was on the outer wall which surrounded the town of Nain. One of the ways we can imagine the Three Estates is as a set of three walls of protection around you. In medieval times, the seats of kingdoms would have three walls to protect the center of the city where the palace, the military base, and the stock of supplies were safe from enemies. So, when an enemy attacked a city, the first two walls could be breached, but the people could still defend themselves and what was most important.

That idea of three protective walls is one of the ways theologians picture the Three Estates of Church, Family, and State, and we can see how God protects our lives by providing order and peace in society through the first wall of the Estate of the State. We can see how God gives physical life and provides a safe environment for families to grow and learn and go about their business through the second wall of the Estate of the Family. And we can see how God gives spiritual life and sustains that life through the teaching of God’s Word through the third wall of the Estate of the Church.

But the devil is always attacking these walls and estates, and Satan is most effective in his attacks when he attacks from inside each of these estates. The best way for the devil to attack the Church is through false teachers within the Church. The best way for the devil to attack the Family is by going after parents and tempting them away from their family. The best way for Satan to attack the State is through politicians and leaders who make unjust laws.

Now, I need to address something before we move on here. Kids, listen up. Going off to college and moving away from your family is a dangerous time and you can expect the devil to attack you and your faith. Normally, the State isn’t going to punish you when you break God’s Commandments, so there is already a breech, or a weakness, in the wall of the State. When you move away from your family and live on your own, that wall of protection isn’t there in the same way as when you are living with your parents. And if you are living in a new town and don’t find a Church to attend every week that correctly teaches all of God’s Word, the devil has access to your conscience and will try to lure you away from the faith. In one fell swoop, the walls of protection can crumble around you. Too many kids end up denouncing Christianity shortly after they move away from home. So kids, when the time comes for you to move away from home, I would be delighted and more than happy to help you find a good church wherever you move. Ok?

Back to this poor woman. She has quickly had the wall of her family completely decimated. Her husband and her only son have died. She is vulnerable. She is weeping – and rightly so. Death is unnatural. God never intended that we should die. When someone you love dies, weeping and crying is a right response. Even Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh, weeps at the death of His friend Lazarus (Jn. 11:35). So, why does Jesus tell her, “Stop weeping”?

Christ interrupts the funeral procession and gives her this command because He is about to act. Jesus could have reversed the order. Christ could have raised her son to life then told her to stop weeping, but He doesn’t. Instead, with this command, Jesus gives her an implied promise that her son will live again. These words from Jesus give a little preview into what He is about to do. Then, only after giving that promise, Jesus touches the bier and commands the young man to get up. The life-giving Word of Christ awakens the dead young man from the slumber of death.

Dear saints, I said at the beginning that this account is completely true. But it is also a preview. Christ, who raises the dead as easily as waking them from a nap, this very same Jesus went to His death. He hung on the cross. And as His holy and precious blood flowed out of His hands, feet, and head, He spoke to His widowed mother. Christ gave His mother into the care of John the disciple to provide a new family for her and rebuild that wall of protection. Then, Jesus died and His lifeless body was carried to a tomb.

But also, just like in this text, the march of death was stopped short. Death had to give way to the Word of Jesus at the gate of Nain, and death had to give way to Jesus on the third day when Christ burst from the grip of death. Death tried to swallow up the Lord of Life, but it bit off more than it could chew. In fact, death choked and died when it tried to consume Jesus. And on Easter morning, Christ rose victorious from the grave.

And yet, dear saints, even that is just a preview of what will happen when your Lord returns. Your sorrow, your loneliness, and your death will all be brought to an end. With a simple word, Christ will call you out of your graves. He will raise you and all believers to live forever with Him in perfection and bliss. In that day, we will confess just as the people of Nain did, “God has visited His people!” 

Dear saints, while we look forward to that day, let us confess the same thing now. God has visited you bringing life and salvation to a dark, dying world. May He visit us again soon. Come, Lord Jesus.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Three Circles of Protection – Sermon on Matthew 6:24-34 for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

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Matthew 6:24-34

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, Jesus preaches to us against worry by making fun of it. Jesus asks, “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (v. 27). Christ is making a joke. Literally, Jesus says, “Which of you by worrying can add a cubit,” a measurement of length, “to your life?” which is, of course, measured in time. I don’t know a lot of tall, elderly people, but my grandfather, who died in his 80’s, was 6’ 2”. When I saw him never thought, “Wow. Grandpa must have worried a lot.” Jesus even makes fun of us worriers. When our translation quotes Jesus asking, “Will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” He is actually calling us a name – “you little faiths” or “little faithers.”

In His preaching, Jesus invites us wise and noble humans to slow down and hear the preaching of birds and flowers. When birds need food, they don’t go to the little bird grocery store where all the food grown by farmer birds is sold. It’s almost as if Jesus was inviting you to imagine certain types of birds working in each role. (Finches would be at the grocery tills – fight me.) Birds don’t keep their food in cupboards and pantries in their nests. Flowers don’t look for best sales of the season for clothes, but they are splendidly clothed. In His wisdom, God has ordered creation in such a way that He takes care of feeding birds and clothing the grass. The birds and grass trust Him, and Jesus says we should as well.

Kids, whenever you are studying science – botany, biology, anatomy, astronomy, physics, etc. – you get a small peek into all the ways we have observed how God has ordered creation. And the more scientists discover, the more we see about the complexity, intricacy, and beauty of God our Father and Creator. God put thought and wisdom and detail into every part of creation as He spoke it into existence. All of creation was designed by God to both continue and sustain life. He does it for birds and plants and animals and planets and stars and galaxies. And He does it for you.

And it is with that thought, I want to take a step back and consider how God gives order to provide for us and protect us, the pinnacle of His creation. As we see this wonderful and beautiful order, Jesus invites us to not worry when we are tempted to do so.

In His wisdom, God has given order to our lives by creating and instituting, what theologians call, “the Three Estates”: The Three Estates are the Church, the Family, and the State (or government), in that order are the three circles of protection that God has graciously given. Science cannot observe and study this, but from God’s Word we can see how God has woven these Three Estates into the fabric of creation to provide for you and protect you. When we consider what is going on in the world through the lens of the Three Estates, it helps shape and guide our thinking in a biblical way so that we do not worry. And even though things can get bad (and, even, currently are bad) in these estates, these estates cannot be completely overthrown or destroyed.

Each of the Three Estates has a “source” or when it was instituted. A “form” or what it consists of. And an “end” or goal. So, let’s talk about each of these:

First, the estate of the Church. The estate of the Church was instituted and has its source at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And this will take a bit of explaining. We are always and only righteous and holy through faith. Scripture repeatedly says, “the righteous shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4; Ro. 1:17; Gal. 3:11).

Before they fell into sin, Adam and Eve had everything good from God because of the perfection of creation, so they needed a promise of God to believe. That promise was implied when God gave the command to not eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:16-17). In other words, God’s command included a promise which was, “Evil is bad. Trust Me on this. When you find out what evil is, it won’t go well for you. In fact, you’ll die.” So, with this command and promise, Adam and Eve could have by faith what God never intended them to have. God didn’t want humanity to experience evil or death by sight, only by faith.

The estate of the church takes the form and consists of the Word of God preached and believed. As long as Adam and Eve believed God’s Word, they had the pure Church. God be praised that now, even after the Fall, we still have the Church which continued when God promised that the Seed of the woman, Jesus, would deliver and rescue us from death (Gen. 3:15).

Finally, the end or goal of the Estate of the Church is for us to have eternal life with God. So, we have, first, the Church: instituted by God’s promise before the Fall (and sustained after the Fall), with the goal and end of eternal life.

The second estate instituted by God to protect and provide for humanity is the Estate of the Family. The Estate of the Family has its source and was instituted also before the Fall when God took Adam’s rib and formed Eve. Then, God told Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). Even after the Fall, we know that God wants the Estate of the Family to continue because God repeats this command to Noah and his descendants after the Flood (Gen. 9:1).

The Estate of the Family takes the form of and us made up by husband, wife, and children.

And the end or goal of the Estate of the Family is also life, but, unlike the Estate of Church, the Family provides temporal, physical life. So, we have the Family: again, instituted by God before the Fall (and sustained after the Fall), with the goal and end physical life.

The Estate of the State is a little more complex because it was instituted only after the Fall. And there isn’t a direct passage of Scripture where God clearly establishes the Estate of the State. However, Scripture does clearly teach us that the Estate of the State is a good institution of God in both Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 where Scripture teaches that the State is not a terror to good conduct but to bad and that the State carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

A couple possibilities of when God establishes the Estate of the State could be: When God sent the cherubim to guard the way to the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:22-24). By prohibiting Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Life, God was protecting them from living forever in sin. Some suggest that the Estate of the State was instituted after the murder of Abel, and there are some good arguments for that, but for the sake of time I’m not going to get into that now.

The Estate of the State takes the form of and uses the instrument of the sword and punishment. In other words, the State uses either punishment or the threat of punishment to protect and preserve life. Think of it this way, God established the State to bring about ‘little death.’ To the State God has given the tools of rules, punishments, jail, even execution and war to prevent more or bigger death.

Try this as an example: your car can probably go over 100 mph. But the authorities that God has established in the State have brought about a ‘little death’ for your car through speed limits. You have to drive down Columbia at or under 40 mph. because driving 100 mph. would endanger the lives of others. And if you refuse to obey the law, there is the threat of punishment through a speeding ticket, or, if you actually do drive 100 mph. down Columbia, you should be thrown in jail for reckless endangerment.

The goal of the Estate of the State is to preserve life. Because it is impossible for the state to give life, it’s only function is to preserve life through the means of that ‘little death.’ An analogy for this would be when a surgeon cuts open a person to do surgery on their heart or to remove a tumor. This brings about pain and death, but in an effort to preserve life. So, we have the State: instituted by God after the Fall, with the goal and end preserving life through punishment or “little death.”

Now, this ordering of creation has very important ramifications. When we worry about what is going on around us, the Three Estates let us see how God has provided these three circles of protection. The Three Estates also helps shape what we are to do. We are to be faithful citizens of the State by voting and following the laws that the State gives to protect life. We are to be faithful to our Family by being good parents and obedient children. And we are to be faithful members of Christ’s Church by trusting Him and growing in God’s Word and faith.

We are constantly bombarded with news, and it is easy to get caught up with what is going on in Washington D.C. or St. Paul or Bismarck. We tend to get so focused on the coming election and what is happening in the government – both at the federal and state level. With the economy in a bad place, an open seat on the Supreme Court, and pandemic, we start to think that the State has to do something, and the State does have a place to make rules and laws to protect life. But then – when you throw in riots, fires, hurricanes, masks, and social distancing – it is easy for us to look to the State for things that God hasn’t given the State to do. There certainly may be a place for the State to have care and direction when it comes to those things as well. And there is also a place for polite discussion and disagreement on what level and to what degree the State should or shouldn’t make those decisions.

But in all of this, we should recognize that the State exists only to protect life by minimizing death. It also means that the Estate of the State has nothing to do and has no purpose apart from the Estate of the Church and the Estate of the Family. Since life does not exist apart from the Church and the Family, there is nothing for the State to do without the Church or Family. So, the State is the most temporary and the least important of the Three Estates because it only exists to serve and protect the life that comes only through the Church and the Family.

Also, it is important for each of the Three Estates to “stay in their own lane.” Pastors should not shepherd their flock like a president or king. Families should not look to the State or the Church to provide for them. Politicians should not guide on what is right and moral. We could go on and on, but I hope you get the point. (And we can talk about all this later too.)

The end of all this, dear saints, is this: A lot of our worry (at least for me and what I see on social media) comes from what is going on in the State. Repent! It shouldn’t be this way. Yes, the State is important. The State and the authorities God has placed over us matter and are there to protect life. But what is going on in your Family much more important than what happens in the State. Put more of your focus and attention there.

Remember that Jesus promises to provide for your family. Jesus hasn’t given you permission to worry about anything. If Jesus wants to give you permission to worry about something, He’ll be sure to let you know. But until then, go about your work. And worrying is not work – even though it often feels like it. Worrying takes a lot of time and energy, but worrying isn’t productive. Remember, God has promised, and He will provide – even if it means sending ravens or a miraculous provision of flour and oil like He did in our Old Testament text (1 Kgs. 17:8-16). While you remember that what happens in your family is more important than what is going on in the State, even more important than what is going on in your family is what is going on at here at Church.

Here God provides everything you need for eternal life. He has given Christ to go to the cross, shed His blood, die, and rise again for your justification. He continues to pour out His mercy upon you from this very altar with this holy Supper. Sure, things are currently bad in the state. Maybe, things are even not so great in your family. But both could certainly be worse. Remember, God still protects and provides everything you need for eternal life through the Estate of the Church. And no matter what happens in this world, the gates of hell will never overcome Christ’s Church (Mt. 16:18). Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry, little faithers.

I want to close here with what Jesus says when He preaches almost the exact same sermon in Luke 12:29–31. Your Savior says, “Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Thanks – Sermon on Luke 17:11-19 for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

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Luke 17:11-19

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Last week, we heard the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37). Jesus is the One who gets down in the dirt and has mercy upon you. Today, we again hear about a good Samaritan who was one of the ten lepers healed by Jesus. Today’s good Samaritan receives mercy from Jesus, the Good Samaritan, and gets down in the dirt to give Christ thanks.

These ten lepers were socially distancing themselves, as the Law of God demanded (Lev. 13:45-46). The lepers are suffering, but they are also dangerous to others, so they were to be separate from the rest of society. Yet, they form a little community. We know that at least some (if not nine) of these lepers were Jewish, but at least one of them was a Samaritan. Normally, Jews have no dealings with Samaritans (Jn. 4:9) because Samaritans were considered unclean. But since all ten of these lepers were already unclean, they are united together in their suffering, similar to what happened in the months after 9/11, when our country was suffering. We bonded together as a nation. May God grant that type of unity again!

Anyway, these suffering lepers have gathered together and this little congregation lifts up its voice, “Jesus, Master, have mercy upon us.” When they cry out for mercy, what were they asking for? Did they want some food or money? Did they know that Jesus had cleansed lepers before and were crying out for healing? We don’t know, and it’s possible that the lepers didn’t even know themselves. Notice, they don’t call Jesus ‘Lord’ as many other people do when they call out to Jesus in faith. Instead, they call our Lord, ‘master.’

What is important is that they were asking the right one – Jesus – for the right thing – mercy. God in His mercy answers imperfect and imprecise prayers in exactly the right way. In fact, “Lord, have mercy,” is a great prayer that distills everything you need down to a single petition. Mercy is always what you need.

Now, we need to consider the attitude toward lepers back then. In Jesus’ day, the rabbis typically taught that leprosy was a manifestation of an inner uncleanness. In other words, the common thought was that leprosy didn’t just happen to people. Instead, leprosy was seen as a Divine judgment against the sins of those who had it, and people had the general attitude that lepers were simply getting what they deserved from God.

Unfortunately, we Christians often have a similar attitude toward those who are suffering: the poor, the homeless, etc. May God forgive us for the times that we are like the priest and Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan, looking past those who need mercy and passing by on the other side of the road. So, please know, that while the normal attitude toward lepers in Jesus’ day was to think of it as God’s just judgment on those who had it, I’m not defending that attitude. But I think that fact is important to possibly understanding the actions of the nine who don’t return to Jesus.

Jesus hears their plea for mercy and says, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Because we know the whole story, we know that when Jesus said that they would be healed, the priests would look them over, and they would be admitted back into regular society. In that moment, the lepers didn’t know that. They already knew about the priests, and they knew that because of their leprosy, there was no place for them in the Temple because they are unclean.

So, some have speculated (and I think it is a likely explanation) that the lepers might have understood Jesus’ words in a negative and offensive way. So often in the Gospels, we read that even the disciples do not understand Jesus, and that may have been what is going on here. Even though Jesus didn’t mean it this way, the lepers might have understood Christ to be saying something like, “Why should I have mercy on you when you are unclean? Get out of here. Show yourselves to the priests. If they declare you to be clean, then I will help you.”

Again, it’s speculation. But if this is accurate, it would mean that they interpreted Jesus as saying, “No.” So they are disappointed and their refusal to rejoice even when they are healed might be reasonable in their minds because Jesus hasn’t done anything for them. However, this Samaritan sees things differently, and because he has faith, he returns to Jesus, praises Him with a loud voice, and gives thanks. According to Jesus, this good Samaritan wasn’t just healed from his leprosy; instead, Jesus says to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has (lit.) saved you.”

Now, there are a lot of things we can glean from this text. For one, we see the saving power of Jesus’ Word – even from a distance. Or, as we have in the past, we could consider how Jesus is the true, great High Priest who makes atonement for us. We could also focus on how Jesus claims to be God (even though so many people claim that He never did). With this good Samaritan at His own feet, Jesus says, “Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” But today, we are going set all of that aside, and instead focus on the Christian act of giving thanks.

Jesus sees the evidence of this good Samaritan’s faith in the fact he came back to give thanks. Christians give thanks. Christians are thankful people. We heard the fruits of the Spirit in our Epistle text (Gal. 5:16-24), and one of the fruits of faith is thanksgiving. I want to put before you four thoughts about thanksgiving.

The first thought is that thanksgiving comes first. Over and over in Paul’s letters, he begins by giving thanks. All of Paul’s letters except Galatians and Titus begin with thanksgiving. And this is amazing when you realize to whom Paul was writing. Paul wrote two letters to the Thessalonians who thought they had missed Jesus’ return and the Resurrection. They were tempted to think that Paul was a fraud apostle. But Paul begins both of his letters to the Thessalonians with thanksgiving.

The church in Corinth was even worse. There was a man who had gotten married to his mother-in-law and was bragging about it. Families were breaking apart and people were abandoning their spouses because they thought the Resurrection was coming soon. Some members of the church didn’t even believe in the Resurrection. They were not letting poor people come to the Lord’s Supper, and some were getting drunk during Communion. They were fighting about who to follow – Paul, Peter, Apollos, or Christ (1 Cor. 1:11-13). The church in Corinth was, by all accounts, a colossal disaster. We would think Paul would begin his letters to them by saying, “I’m ripping my hair out every time I think of you.” But no! Paul begins his letter, “I give thanks to my God always for you” (1 Cor. 1:4).

There is something to be said about starting with thanksgiving. When you start each day with thanking God for protecting you through the night from all harm and danger, you’re starting your day off right. It’s easy to start your day with worrying, panicking, fretting, and thinking of all the things you have to do, but doing that only wears you down and is offering the false worship of worry instead of the true worship of thanks. Thanksgiving starts us off on the right foot.

This leads to the second thought about thanksgiving. Thanksgiving requires a turning back. The good Samaritan had to turn back and return to Jesus to give thanks. While this is what literally, physically happened, there is also something very profound to contemplate here.

If we’re always focused on what is coming next, if we are always oriented toward what lies ahead, we cannot give thanks. There’s nothing in the future to be thankful for. There are reasons to be hopeful, but nothing to give thanks for. Remember that Jesus says that tomorrow is always full of worry but let tomorrow worry for itself (Mt. 6:34). As long as we think about tomorrow, we can only have worry – or, at best, worry mixed with hope. But we cannot have thanksgiving.

If we are going to give thanks, we must look backwards to what has been or to the present and to what is. So often, Scripture pictures thankfulness as the opposite to worry. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” When we remember how God has forgiven us, provided for us, and protected us, we give thanks for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.

The third thought about thanksgiving is that thankfulness and faith go together because thankfulness looks to God as the Giver of all good things. And here, it might be good to make a distinction between thanksgiving and gratefulness. Gratefulness looks at the goodness of the gift while thanksgiving tends to look at the goodness of the giver or source of the gift. If you brought me a milk chocolate mocha with no whip and an extra shot of espresso, I would be grateful for the coffee in my hand and thankful to you because you gave it to me.

Don’t get me wrong, gratitude is important. We should be grateful and recognize the goodness of the gifts that we have – family, health, food, clothing, house, home, etc. But Christians should go past gratefulness and be thankful. I don’t doubt that the nine lepers were grateful that they were cleansed, but they didn’t return and give thanks to Jesus, their Cleanser.

By faith, we look past the gift and even past the individual who has given the gift and recognize that everything we have comes from God. As James 1:17 says, “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”

The good Samaritan leper saw and was grateful for his healing, but he looked past that and gave praise to God at the feet of the Son of God. And we Christians, when we have a table full of food, we look past the person who earns the paycheck, past the grocers, truck drivers, and farmers (it is right to give them thanks too). But ultimately, we give thanks to God who has provided the good gift of food.

Which leads us to the fourth thought: Christians give thanks even in times of suffering. After, ‘mama’ and ‘papa,’ there are two words that parents work to teach their children – ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ It isn’t just Christians who teach this. Part of living in this world is to be polite and thankful for good things. But Christians can even give thanks in bad times because God remains good. Even when God hands us over to suffering, He does so out of His goodness. 

Natural, worldly thanks has to do with the goodness of the gift. But Christian thankfulness has to do with the goodness of the Giver – the goodness of God. As Christians we recognize that everything we have comes from God. In Philippians 4:11, Paul says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” Or think of Job who had been protected and blessed by God. Even when God removes His protection, Job still rightly thanks God even in his suffering and says, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15).

So, whether we are full or hungry, whether we have friends or are lonely, whether we have peace or are in the midst of chaos, in life and even in death, we give thanks to God because He has already graciously given us Jesus. Remember Romans 8:32, “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, God has already given you Jesus, and there is no good thing He will ever hold back from you.

Everything in this life comes from God the Father. In health and in pandemic, in good times and in bad, in order and in chaos, in joy and in sorrow, still we give thanks and bless God’s name. 

This good Samaritan leper had reason to give thanks for being healed, but there was even more reason to give thanks that Jesus had looked upon him in kindness and forgiven his sin. The same is true for you. God has given you His only begotten Son so that you can receive His eternal love and kindness.

May the Holy Spirit grant that we always be filled with this thankfulness. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Bound Up – Sermon on Luke 10:23-37 for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

Listen here.

Luke 10:23-37

23 Then turning to the disciples [Jesus] said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 

30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The whole thing started with a question intended to trap Jesus in His words. The lawyer asks, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” It’s a stupid question because of those first six words, “What shall I do to inherit…” There’s nothing he can do. The life he desires cannot be earned or bought or deserved. However, the lawyer is right, completely right, with his last three words. Eternal life is inherited, but inheritance is always based on birth. And everyone is entirely passive in that regard. None of you will be the Queen of England. You don’t have the right birth; it’s a title you will never be able to inherit. 

Jesus answers the silly question with a question: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The lawyer gives the orthodox (ὀρθῶς v. 28) answer, “Love God perfectly, and love your neighbor perfectly.” Jesus even says, “Bingo. You’ve got it! Do this and nothing less. And you will live.” The lawyer correctly recognizes that Jesus’ response means that he is damned. The lawyer asked a Law question, got a Law answer, and recognizes the devastating results. The man had come to trap Jesus, but he finds himself trapped in his own sin. He recognizes that, under the Law, he’s toast. He looks for an escape, an out, a limit to whom he must love, so he asks, “Who is my neighbor?”

But Jesus doesn’t offer him an escape from the Law with the parable. In fact, there is no escape from the Law. The Law’s demands must be fulfilled, and, God be praised, there is One who has fulfilled the Law’s demands for you. Instead, as I’ve preached before, the parable points to another way to inherit eternal life – the way of promise (Gal. 3:18 as we heard in our Epistle text). The way to inherit eternal life isn’t by works or effort. It’s by mercy. With the parable, Jesus is pointing this scared lawyer to the inheritance that comes only by promise through the Gospel.

Jesus is the one who finds sinners not just half-dead but fully dead in sin (Eph. 2:1). He binds up the wounds of sin – both the wounds that are self-inflicted and the scars that are caused by others. He pours on the oil and wine of His Sacraments. He books you an all-inclusive room in the inn of His holy Christian Church. Jesus is the one who shows you mercy.

The point of the parable is not that we should try harder and make a better effort to love our neighbor. The parable is not teaching that we shouldn’t be prejudiced or bigoted. Of course, we shouldn’t be prejudiced or bigoted, but that isn’t the point of the parable. The point of the parable isn’t even that we should love everyone. The lawyer already knew and confessed that. So, why would Jesus tell a parable to reinforce what the lawyer already knew?

Instead, Jesus tells the parable because the lawyer has been beaten up by the Law. But the lawyer doesn’t realize – or worse, isn’t willing to admit – that he’s in the ditch dead in his sin and failure to do what the Law demands. Because this lawyer has sinned both by what he has done and by what he has left undone, he needs Jesus, the Good Samaritan who has perfectly fulfilled the Law, the show him mercy. Christ is the only One who rescues dying sinners who could not save themselves. That’s why Jesus tells the parable.

Now, after the parable is concluded Jesus says, “You go, and do likewise.” And this particular part of the text I usually don’t spend a lot of time on, and Dr. Mayor Gander, likes to point that out to me – a lot. In my defense, it is the last five words of the text. But if you are like the honorable mayor and wish I would spend more time on those words, today’s your day!

Dear saints, as we recover in the inn of the Church, we still need the Law’s instruction. We still need to our love rightly directed. And God gives us that instruction and direction in the Commandments. Christian, you do not, I repeat, do not, need the Law to save yourself. But you do need the Law to know how to respond to what Christ, the Good Samaritan, who has bound you up, has done for you.

So, with that in mind, I want to spend the rest of this sermon to talking to you about your vocation.

Whenever we talk about vocation in the Christian sense, we aren’t talking about a career. Christian vocation is all the different ways that God calls you to serve your neighbor, which means that you have many different vocations in this life.

All of your vocations are defined by a few things. First, your vocation is defined by the Ten Commandments. The lawyer was absolutely right to summarize the Law as loving God and loving your neighbor. What is often missed in our day is that we do not get to define what love is. In the Ten Commandments, God has already defined what love is. To give a quick example: men, you are called to love all women, but the love you show your wife is shaped differently than the love you show other women. Your love for all women is given shape by the 6th Commandment about not committing adultery.

Second, your vocation is defined by your relationship to your neighbor. A lot of times, we have an idea that our good works are aimed at a target. On that target are the members of our family: parents, spouses, kids, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and strangers. Typically, we think that the center of that target, the bullseye, is where God is. We think God should always be in the middle and that we should aim our good works toward Him. Then, in the next ring, depending on your age or circumstances, comes your spouse or your parents. Then the next ring is, siblings or children, then friends, then strangers.

Dear saints, I want you to chew on the idea that this picture – where God needs to be in the center, in the bullseye when you aim your good works – is wrong. God doesn’t need to be in the center of your target. He doesn’t need anything you can do or offer Him. He doesn’t need your help. You can take God out of all the circles of your target. Instead, move everyone else in. If you’re married, your spouse is the bullseye, then kids, etc. If you’re a child, your parents are the bullseye, then siblings, friends, classmates, etc.

If you are going to find God on your target, He is under the whole target. God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does. Whenever you serve your neighbor, you are serving God. You can find joy in serving your neighbor because whatever you do, you are serving God by serving that needy neighbor. You see the picture?

Kids, you are called to love God by loving your neighbor by obeying your parents, by listening to your teachers, doing your homework, being respectful to adults, and by being a good friend. Adults, you are called to love God by loving your neighbor being a good husband or wife, by being a good parent, by being a hard-working employee or a good and fair boss, by paying your taxes, respecting the authorities that God has placed over you, and on and on it goes.

Third, your vocation is defined by the needs of your neighbor. Normally, this is pretty straightforward. Your boss needs you to do your tasks efficiently and with excellence. But sometimes, you need to do things that you aren’t trained to do when and if an emergency arises.

This is a weird analogy, but think of it this way. Normally, you wouldn’t walk into a hospital room and offer medical aid or advice – at least you shouldn’t. So, don’t. But pretend that a plane crashed in the church yard during the service. In an emergency like that, it would be sinful for us to continue on with our service if such a thing happened. We’d stop what we are doing and go help. Even though most of us are not doctors or nurses, we would go and do our best to be doctors and nurses and firefighters until the professionals arrived because the needs of our neighbors on that plane demanded it.

The same thing is true if someone breaks into your house and was threatening the lives of you and your family. Because of that emergency, you suddenly have the duty and vocation to be the police, judge, and, possibly, even the executioner. But remember that those are the exceptions rather than the rule. When the needs of your neighbor are immediate like that, you might need to step out of your normal vocation and fill the need because there is an emergency.

Think back to the parable. The Good Samaritan didn’t finance an all-inclusive room for everyone he met on the road that day. He didn’t put everyone on his animal or pour oil and wine on those who were well and healthy. But he did do it when the immediate needs of his neighbor demanded it. The Samaritan didn’t do any of it out of obligation; he did it, according to v. 33, out of compassion. That word, which the New Testament only uses when talking about what God has done for us in Christ, is why we know this parable is about what Jesus does for us who have been beaten up by sin and left dead in the ditch.

Dear saints, compassion is what Jesus has given you. By His incarnation and birth, the Son of God has become your brother – your own flesh and blood. He has rescued you from the ditch. He has bound you up with His grace and mercy. And He is here now to provide His forgiveness delivered to you in this Bread and Wine which is His Body and Blood as you continue to recover in the inn of His Church.

Fed and refreshed with this Sacrament, go from here and do likewise. Love your neighbor recklessly. Bind up the wounds of sin that have harmed your neighbor. Your Savior has bound you up to Himself, and He invites you to join Him in His work of binding up the wounds of your sin-sick neighbor. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.