Tag Archives: Love

Fear, Love, & Trust – Sermon on Matthew 22:34-46 for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Matthew 22:34-46

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

44 “The Lord said to my Lord, 

       ‘Sit at my right hand, 
until I put your enemies under your feet’?

45 “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Well, here they go again. Those tricksy Pharisees. Trying to catch Jesus, trying to get our Lord to say something that would get Him in trouble. Last week, it was at a banquet watching to see what Jesus would do with a sick man (Lk. 14:1-11). This week, it’s with a test question. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

To be honest, there isn’t really anything wrong with the lawyer’s question as it is. (More on that in a bit.) But the motive behind the question was sinful. The Pharisees wanted to catch Jesus pitting one part of God’s Word against another. It’s impossible to know exactly what they had planned to do with Jesus’ response. Maybe, they figured Jesus would say that the 1st Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” was the greatest. Then, they could falsely accuse Him of teaching that profaning God’s name, dishonoring parents, murder, stealing, or lying wasn’t a big deal. Whatever their plans and thoughts were, they were trying to make Jesus look like a fool with this question about the Law.

They miscalculated. Badly.

They didn’t realize with Whom they were speaking. Jesus is the Author of the Ten Commandments. He carved them into stone tablets and declared them to Moses and all the people of Israel (Jn. 1:18). Trying to trick Jesus with a question about the Ten Commandments is like trying to trick Herman Melville with a question about Moby Dick, Mark Twain with a question about Huck Finn, C.S. Lewis with a question about Aslan, George Lucas with a question about Luke Skywalker, or Dr. Seuss with a question about the Cat in the Hat. (Hopefully, one of those combinations works for you.)

Jesus, the Author of the Law, will not let one part of His perfect will – which is expressed in the Commandments – be pitted against the rest. The Commandments are not in competition with each other. To love God with the whole heart, whole soul, and whole mind is the first and great commandment. And notice how Jesus continues. He says there is another commandment, a second commandment, that is like the first and great commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Now, it is interesting in Mark’s account of this same encounter with the Pharisees Jesus says there’s no other commandment – singular – greater than these – plural (Mk. 8:31). In other words, perfect love of God and perfect love of your neighbor go together. The two are inseparably tied together and are really one commandment. On these hang all the Law and the Prophets. Love for God is demonstrated by love for the neighbor. 1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” In other words, when you love your neighbor, you are loving God who has commanded you to love your neighbor.

Some people today will say that since Jesus distills the Commandments down to, “Love God, and love your neighbor,” that we don’t need the Commandments or any other teaching about God’s Law. Basically, they will say, “We just have to love each other.” Be careful with that. The reality is that we need the Commandments, we need the Law, to teach us what love looks like.

If you want to love God, love your neighbor, and here is what that looks like: Loving God is obeying His command to honor your father and mother by serving, obeying, and respecting them. Loving God is obeying His command to not murder your neighbor or cause him any suffering. Loving God is obeying His command to not commit adultery – which means, husbands, live a chaste life for your wife, and wives, live a chaste life for your husband. Love is not stealing, rather helping your neighbor improve and protect his property. Love is not bearing false witness and putting the most charitable construction on all that your neighbor does.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you think what you are doing is motivated by love; if your thoughts, words, or actions fall outside of these Commands, it is not love. In fact, we could go a step farther and say that, whenever your actions fall outside of the Ten Commandments, they are selfish and sinful actions motivated by hatred toward both God and neighbor.

Dear saints, all of this is to say, we all have a lot of reasons to repent. We do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things, and we do not love our neighbor as ourselves. We let our fear of things other than God dictate how we act. We let our love of things that are not God distract us from the God who loves us. We let our trust in things other than God draw us away from God. Again, dear saints, repent. The Law always accuses us and shows how we fail in our obligation to love God and neighbor.

Now, I said earlier that there isn’t anything wrong with the lawyer’s question about what is the greatest Command. But that question, by itself is incomplete because the Law leaves us hanging out to dry under God’s wrath and punishment. At best, the Law can only curb and deter people from sin, but that’s as far as it can go. The Law is good because it tells us what we must do, but the Law is limited because it can only reveal what we have failed to do. The Law is never helpful in saving us unless we also know the One who hung upon the cross for all our sins of failing to love God and neighbor.

That is why Jesus asks His question about the Christ. Just like in last week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus turns the tables and asks the Pharisees a question, “The Messiah, whose son is he?” And the Pharisees were right when they answered, “David’s son.” God had promised that a son of David would sit on David’s throne forever (1 Sam. 7). But David also wrote in Psalm 110:1, which is the verse that Jesus quotes, that this Son of David is also David’s Lord. So, Jesus’ question is, “How can the Messiah, David’s son, also be David’s Lord?”because a father would never call his descendent, “Lord.”

Here, Jesus is teaching the Pharisees and you that the Messiah is both God and man. Here’s why that is so important:

Because the Messiah is God, He has kept the Law perfectly. And because He is man, that keeping of the Law is for you. Jesus perfectly loved God and your neighbor in your place. And through faith, that perfect keeping of the Law is credited to you (2 Cor. 5:21).

The easiest example of this is the 4th Commandment. The Law says, “Honor thy father and mother. Love God by loving your parents as yourself.” And you are left saying, “God, I haven’t done that. I need Your help.” If the Jesus had not come to earth as a Man, God would have to say, “Well, I’m God. I don’t have a father or mother, so I can’t help you. You have to do that yourself.” But God did become a Man. Jesus had a mom and a dad. He did love and honor them perfectly. So, He can and does help you by reckoning His obedience and keeping the Commandment to your account. And this applies to each and every one of the Commandments.

Jesus, the eternal, righteous Son of God, became a Man, perfectly loved God and neighbor, died, and rose again. Through this, He has brought the Law to perfection. This might be too simplistic of an explanation, but it might help shape our thinking.

In His answer to the lawyer’s question, Jesus shows us that the Law has a divine aspect and a physical aspect – love God (divine) and love neighbor (physical). God be praised, that He has given you a Savior who is also divine and physical – God and Man. So, now, when you hear the Law and what it requires of you, you realize that you are lost and deserve God’s wrath and judgment in both body and soul. So, you cry out, “God I’m lost. I deserve punishment and death, could You take that punishment and die for me?” And because the Son of God has taken up your flesh, Jesus says, “Sure. I already have.”

Dear saints, Jesus has perfectly loved God and neighbor for you. All of His perfection and righteousness – His perfect fear, love, and trust in God – is given to you through faith. And to strengthen that faith, your Savior is here now to give you His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of all your sins. For that, God be praised. Amen.

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

Doxology – Sermon on Ephesians 3:13-21 for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Ephesians 3:13-21

13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. 

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This text is a prayer that you would be strengthened, rooted, and grounded in faith so that you would know the love of Christ. Whether you know it or not, that is why you are here today. You are here so that you would know the love of Jesus. Now, beware. The prayer in this text is very humbling for us. But if you are willing to be humbled, you will receive a gift greater than you can imagine. So, let’s walk through the text.

In v. 14-15, Paul is basically getting to his knees to pray. Then, in v. 16, the prayer begins. Paul asks that God would strengthen our inner being so we would know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. Now, Paul wouldn’t pray that we be strengthened if our inner being were already strong enough to hold on to and grasp Christ’s love. And we can’t make ourselves strong enough by working harder than others or being smarter than others. Of course, it’s good to be smart and work hard, but this text isn’t about that. This strength comes from outside of us.

As we come to v. 17, we need to remember that Paul is writing this text to and praying this prayer for Christians. If you go back to the opening verses of this letter, you see that Paul is writing to the saints who are faithful and have already been blessed in Christ and have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:1-3). So, it is good and right to imagine that Paul is praying this for you. But his prayer asks for something you would expect to have already happened. He prays that you, Christian, would be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit so that Christ would dwell in your hearts through faith. Isn’t that interesting? Doesn’t Christ already dwell in the hearts of Christians? Yes. And don’t you already know this? Yes!

But this prayer shows that even you, God’s people, His saints, you who are chosen by God, you need to be rooted and grounded so that you have strength to comprehend the love of Christ. Let’s consider this idea of being rooted and grounded because it helps us understand why Paul can pray that we would have something we already have and know something we already know.

A lot of our learning moves from one thing to another. In school, you are taught numbers then, when you master that, you move on to addition. When you master addition, you move to subtraction then multiplication then division, etc. Sometimes, we are tempted to think we don’t need to learn something anymore because it’s simplistic. If you showed up for calculus your senior year and the lesson was learning how to count, you’d drop the class! But the Christian life is about learning, and learning again, and again, and again the love of Jesus.

How young were you when you learned the lesson, “Jesus loves me this I know”? Isn’t that teaching for baby Christians? Yes, it is. But Christian, you don’t move beyond those lessons. The teaching of Christ’s love is as elementary as learning that 2 comes after 1, and 3 after 2. But that teaching is also more advanced than differential equations.

Christian, be humbled to learn that simple lesson again. You need to be strengthened to be rooted and grounded in Christ’s love. Rooted and grounded means that you don’t move. You don’t go anywhere. You stay put. You roots go down deeper and deeper where you already are. In other words, there are incredible things to know, but it is the same. Same soil. Same location.

Here’s where those roots dig down – look at v. 18-19. Those roots dig down into the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. You already know this love, but Paul is praying that you would know more fully the love of Christ.

Now, we know that the place we learn of Christ’s love is always through the Scriptures. But for that message to take deeper root, there needs to be some breaking up of hardened soil. In other words, for your inner being to become stronger, God will come to you through His Word to break you up a bit first. You will hear the Law and learn about your needs, your weaknesses, your limitations, and your sin. And God uses that Law to break you up and expose your failure and sin. Then, the soil is prepared for your roots to go deeper as you hear God say, “You knew before that I loved you, but you didn’t know that I would love you here and in this situation.”

Just briefly consider our Old Testament lesson (1 Kgs. 17:17-24) which is a continuation of the story from last week. The widow of Zarephath learned that God loved her and cared for her during a drought that left her with only enough flour and oil for she and her son to have one more bite before they died. But in the midst of her plight, God loved her and provided so that her little bit of ingredients wouldn’t run out. In today’s text, she learns that God still loved her even when her son died.

Remember what she said. This widow figured that her son’s death was God simply reminding her that she was a sinner (1 Kgs. 17:18). She thinks that God’s love was only enough to provide for her next meal. But God had more blessings and love to pour out on her. Her son was raised. God loved her and did far more abundantly than she could ask or think. God had more love to give that widow even in midst of the death of her son. Her son was raised, and, God be praised, her roots went deeper into the love of God.

Now, that’s her story, how she was broken, strengthened, and more deeply rooted in Christ’s love. I can’t say how this will specifically happen for you. But you will face a time of suffering or weakness. You will encounter something that simply knocks you down so all you can see and feel is how weak and powerless you are. Then, God’s love will come to you in that weakness and place of inability. That love isn’t new, but His love will come into that place, and you will know again and more fully than before the love of Jesus which you already know.

Dear Beau, that brings me to you. Beau, today you are Baptized. Today, God has made you a Christian and saved you (1 Pet. 3:21). God has made you His disciple by placing His name – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – upon you (Mt. 28:). He has claimed you as His own. God has joined you to the death and resurrection of Christ (Ro. 6:3-10). God has clothed you with Christ (Gal. 3:27). But, Beau, today is just the beginning of God’s love for you in Christ. There’s more. More gifts. More blessings. More love that God will continue to pour out on you. Beau, may God give you the strength to let your roots sink deeper and stronger in the love of Christ as you grow and mature in the faith. May each day of your life be filled with lessons of Christ’s infinite love for you.

And all you saints, may this be the same for you. May God give all of you the strength to sink your roots further and deeper into the knowledge of God’s love so you may know His love which surpasses knowledge. And may you unite your voice with the entire church in a doxology, in praise to God.

Dear saints, your God is able to do far more abundantly than all you ask or think. And His power is at work within you. To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.[1]

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

[1] Portions of this sermon were adapted from a sermon by Rev. Dr. Jeff Gibbs on this text.

Invited – Sermon on Proverbs 9:1-10 for the Second Sunday after Trinity

Proverbs 9:1-10

1   Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.

2   She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.

3   She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,

4   “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,

5   “Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.

6   Leave your simple ways, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”

7   Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

8   Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

9   Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, we’re diving right in. Jesus is Wisdom who speaks in this text. Jesus is the one who has prepared this banquet and invites the simple (probably best understood as ‘gullible’) and those who lack sense to a feast He has prepared. Don’t be offended by that interpretation just because Wisdom here is given feminine pronouns. “Wisdom has built her house, hewn her pillars, slaughtered her beasts, mixed her wine…” etc. The word “wisdom” in both Hebrew and Greek is a feminine noun, so don’t let that confuse you. This text is not teaching that God is a woman. Wisdom is the everlasting, eternal, infinite, almighty Son of God.

A bit of context helps cement this interpretation. Back in Pro. 8:22-23, 27-31, Wisdom says of Himself,

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.
Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth….
When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman.”

In other words, God created with and through Wisdom, and all of that echoes the opening of the Gospel of John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:1-3, 14). And if that isn’t enough to prove that Jesus is Wisdom who is speaking here, in Lk. 11:31 Jesus calls Himself the Wisdom greater than Solomon. And in 1 Cor. 1:30, Paul says that Jesus is the wisdom from God.

Jesus, the eternal Son of God and wisdom of God, is the Father’s voice to the world. Jesus reveals God’s heart. And Christ gives us true wisdom that remains when everything else is gone. And look at this beautiful invitation:

He prepares the food, sets the table, and calls all people – even the gullible and senseless – to come to the banquet. This feast is free by grace. God charges no admission fee, and the guests have no bill at the end of the meal. They don’t even have to cover the tip. Those who have no money are invited to come and have their fill. This beautiful picture is also what we saw in our Gospel lesson (Lk. 14:15-23). There, the king doesn’t care if the guests are poor, crippled, blind, or lame. He doesn’t even care if they are citizens of his kingdom. He tells his servants, “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in that My house may be filled.” God has a banquet. He wants His tables to be filled with guests. He desires that all be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

The past three times these readings have come up, I’ve preached on that Gospel text and highlighted the importance of coming to church because the riches of the feast that God gives us right here, in this sanctuary, are so grand, elaborate, and infinitely valuable. But I’m not preaching on the Gospel lesson today. The main overlap of the Gospel lesson and this lesson from Proverbs is the invitation and how we are commissioned by God to spread that invitation to the divine feast far and wide. So, for the rest of this sermon, let’s consider evangelism and witnessing.

Honestly, there is a lot of bad theology when it comes to evangelism and sharing the Gospel. I want to consider three truths about evangelism today. There are more, but these three are central. And I want to be very clear at the outset here. I’m going to criticize some of the common trends and ideas about evangelism. Just because I criticize them doesn’t mean that those things have never worked to share the Gospel.  Instead, I hope that as we consider what the Scriptures have to say about salvation and how we see that Christianity spread in the book of Acts, you are encouraged and emboldened to simply be who you are in Christ. Be a sinner who has been washed in Christ’s forgiveness. That is all the equipping you need to be a faithful inviter to God’s eternal feast.

The first truth about sharing the Gospel is that evangelism is nothing more than simply announcing that there is a feast that is ready and free to any who will come. As v. 4 of our text said, Wisdom sends us to proclaim, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.” And as they arrive at the banquet, Wisdom – in other words Jesus – says to them, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (v. 5-6).

God gives us opportunities to invite to a banquet; He doesn’t call us to scare people into heaven. Plays like “Heaven’s Gates, Hell’s Flames” and fire-and-brimstone-street-corner preaching aren’t what Christians are about. Christians are about the free Gospel, the abundant mercy of Christ, and the joy of the eternal banquet. Yes, the horrors of hell are real. But if people are scared into believing in God, they are more slaves than children. And God wants children to love and cherish. Christian, you have the Gospel – the greatest news ever. Jesus has died and shed His blood for the forgiveness of your sins. That message is for all people. Out of His pure mercy, Jesus says, “Fear not, little flock for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk. 12:32). God’s greatest delight is to give sinners His kingdom and have them as His guests at His banquet.

The second truth about evangelism is that you don’t have to go out and find people to evangelize. I’ve been through (and even taught) evangelism models that encourage you to seek people out, strike up a conversation, and then turn that conversation to spiritual matters so you can share about Jesus. First off, not a lot of people are comfortable doing that. And very few people who are comfortable doing that can do it naturally – especially when the person they are trying to evangelize tries to change the subject away from spiritual matters. I’ve been a victim (and I’m using that word a little sarcastically) of people who are part of pyramid schemes. Of course, they don’t call it a pyramid scheme – it’s ‘multi-level-marketing.’ At first, they are very friendly and outgoing, but then comes the moment when they try to feel me out about their great, wonderful product. When they realize I’m not interested in purchasing or selling their product, they aren’t interested in me anymore. And you know what that does to my opinion of them? Yeah.

Dear saints, you don’t have to seek out potential converts to Christianity. Repeatedly in the book of Acts, the apostles would proclaim the Gospel in the synagogues – to the people who were already familiar with God’s Word. In those synagogues, some would believe in Christ, but many would reject. The interesting thing is that the apostles never sought out people who were unfamiliar with God’s Word. They never made cold calls. God would simply bring people to the apostles, they would preach, point to Jesus, and people would believe.

Just a few examples: At Pentecost, God brought people together by the sound of the rushing wind (Act. 2:5-6) and the apostles pointed them to Jesus. In Acts 3, Peter and John go to the Temple for prayer one afternoon and encounter a paralyzed man who was begging. Peter tells the guy, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you, but in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” The guy does, and whole crowds get drawn to Peter and John to hear more about Jesus (Act. 3:1-4:37). God dropped the Ethiopian eunuch into Phillip’s life (Act. 8:26-38). And when Phillip was done baptizing the eunuch, God teleported him somewhere else to share the Gospel (Act. 8:39-40). God told Cornelius to send for Peter (Act. 10:1-8). We could go on and on. But I’d encourage you, read the book of Acts this week, and notice how God just drops people into the lives of the apostles. Then they simply share the Gospel and point the people whom God put in their lives to Jesus.

Dear saints, you don’t have to seek people out. Be faithful in the vocations and callings that God has given you. Be a good spouse, parent, child, worker, student, neighbor, whatever. Have the best, most genuine relationship possible with the people God brings into your life. Be an authentic person and be ready to give an answer for the reason for the hope that is in you (1 Pet. 3:15-16). As you have opportunity, point them to Jesus, and invite them here where Jesus has prepared His banquet. The most recent survey I saw showed that 86% of people who attend a church go to that congregation because a friend invited them. Be friendly to people not in an effort to convert them – that isn’t true friendship. Just be a friend, and be ready for God to open doors to sharing the Gospel. Like Phillip did for Nathaniel, invite people to come and see Jesus (Jn. 1:46).

Finally, the third truth about evangelism is this: Rest in the fact that you can’t mess it up. Dear saints, Scripture is clear on this. No one will go to hell because you failed in sharing the Gospel with them. It isn’t possible. Jesus promises in Jn. 10:27-29, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

There is a fascinating verse in Acts 13 about this. Just to give a bit of the context here: Paul and his companions arrive in the city of Antioch (Act 13:13ff). As was their custom, they go to the synagogue and are asked by the rulers if they have a word of encouragement. Paul preaches a little sermon about Jesus (Act. 13:16-41). Some believe, and Paul and Barnabas are invited to come again the next Sabbath. When they do, the whole city of Antioch gathered together to hear the Word of the Lord (Act. 13:44). Paul and Barnabas again share about Jesus. Some were filled with jealousy and were contradicting what Paul was preaching and reviling him (Act. 13:45). But then (and this might be the most important verse you can memorize to encourage you as you think about evangelism), Acts 13:48b, “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

Dear saints, salvation belongs to God (Jon. 2:9; Ps. 3:8; Rev. 7:10). You and all Christians are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8-9). Since you aren’t the source of either salvation or grace, the work of saving people belongs exclusively to God. God can and does use you to be His salt and light (Mt. 5:13-16), and when He does, God be praised! But know that no one, not a single soul, will end up in hell because you have failed. You aren’t that powerful. You cannot erase someone’s name from the book of life (Rev. 3:5). Romans 8:38-39 says, “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Dear saints, evangelism, inviting anyone to Jesus’ banquet is zero risk, infinite reward.

Dear saints, there is a banquet. It is free to you and to all. You are invited, and you have the privilege and joy of inviting others. So, invite them. Invite them because of the joy of being part of that feast yourself.

The banquet is prepared. The gifts are ready. Jesus calls you, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. Amen.

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

Triune Love – Sermon on John 3:1-17 for Holy Trinity Sunday

John 3:1-17

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

John 3:16 might be the most recognizable verse of all Scripture. It has, rightly, been called “the Gospel in a nutshell.” That being said, there is a common misconception about one little word of the verse – the word “so.” Most of the time, we understand “so” to mean “so much,” so we read into the verse, “God loved the world so much that He gave His only-begotten Son….” However, the Greek word that gets translated as “so” has a different nuance. It actually means, “in this way.” Here’s how it comes across in Greek, “For God loved the world in this way, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

God the Father loved you by sending His only-begotten Son to die and rise again for you. It is one thing for a person to love you by sacrificing his own life for you. But your God goes further by giving His eternally beloved Son so that you might be saved through Him. In other words, if you ever have doubts about God’s love for you, you only need to look to the cross and empty tomb. By the concrete, historical, provable action of God sending Jesus to shed His blood, die, and rise again for you, God has loved you. That love has not, will not, and can not ever change.

In a lot of ways, that’s enough of a sermon right there, but you’re going to get more.

Today is Trinity Sunday. Scripture teaches that there is one God in three Persons and three Persons in one God. So, as Christians, we worship one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It’s easy for us as Christians to think that there is the God we know and love, but then there are a bunch of guys on the fringe of Christianity called “theologians.” These stuffy guys dress weirdly, have no social skills, and like talking about this thing called “the Trinity,” while go about the important things of real life. I hope this sermon is a beginning of seeing how doctrine – and specifically the doctrine of the Trinity – sparks a joy and wonder in our God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The doctrine (or teaching) of the Trinity is the first mystery of the Christian faith. The doctrine of the Trinity is not a secret. A secret is something that you keep to yourself, and if you tell it to another person it isn’t a secret anymore. A mystery is something that, even if you say it and confess it, is still a mystery and above our comprehension.

Let’s start with a quick overview of the Trinity.

Even though the word “Trinity” is never used in Scripture, it is a concept that Scripture presents, so we believe, teach, and confess it. And the word “Trinity” is a helpful term that has been used by Christians going way back to the late 100’s AD. “Trinity” smashes two words together – tri meaning “three” and unity meaning “oneness.” This week, I came across how “Trinity” is communicated in sign language, and it is absolutely beautiful. You hold up three using your thumb, index, and middle finger on one hand behind your other hand; then, you move those fingers underneath and to the front of your other hand to hold up your single index finger.

First, let’s talk about the unity of the Trinity. In the Old Testament, God gave His people a creed to confess, and it opens like this, “Hear O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Dt. 6:4). We Christians worship one God, yet the testimony of Scripture is that this one God is also three Persons.

The Trinity is taught in the opening chapter of the Bible (especially when we understand creation in light of the rest of the Scriptures). The very first verse of Scripture says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The Hebrew word for “God” is אֱלֹהִים (Elohim) and is the most common Old Testament name for God. The interesting thing about the Hebrew word Elohim is that the word is plural in form, but throughout the Old Testament the verbs that follow Elohim are singular.

Also, at creation, you have God the Father creating, God the Holy Spirit hovering over the face of the waters, and God the Son being the Word of God that creates as it is spoken. Admittedly we only rightly understand this when we know what is taught in Jn. 1[:1-3, 14], “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” We also get to hear the Trinity having a conversation before the creation of Adam and Eve. God says (and listen to the pronouns), “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Then Scripture goes on to say (again listen to the numbers in the nouns and pronouns), “So Elohim (pl.) created man (sg.) in His (sg.) own image, in the image of Elohim (pl.) He (sg.) created him (sg.); male and female He created them (pl.)” (Gen 1:27).

This is an aside, but part of the way that mankind bears the image of God is to have more than one person of the same nature and essence. Humanity has a plurality – male and female. This is why so much of the current push to normalize transgenderism is demonic. There is no other way to say it. The transgender movement isn’t a just a rejection of the way God created a person with boy parts or girl parts. It’s also a rejection of the true God who is plurality in unity. On the one hand, I hope this gives us more compassion toward those who have been deceived by the transgender movement. And on the other hand, I hope it helps us recognize the wickedness of the satanic nature of those who promote transgenderism. As the Church, we need to start preparing ourselves now to welcome back those who have undergone hormone treatments and mutilating surgeries because many of them will eventually realize how they have been deceived. In the next five to twenty or so years, we Christians will need to be ready to give the Gospel in loving, kind ways. I know there is a lot to explore there, but we’ll leave that for another time.

Back to the Trinity.

Now, there are some who will say that the three Persons of the Trinity are simply different ways that the Bible will talk about God. In other words, they say that in the Old Testament, God is depicted as the Father, in the Gospels as the Son, and ever since as the Holy Spirit. This error was given a name, “modalism.” Modelists wrongly say that there is just one God and Father, Son, and Spirit are just different titles for that one God. However, that can’t be the case. Already, we have seen all three Persons in creation, but we also see all three Persons distinctly and individually show up at the Baptism of Jesus (Mt. 3:13-17; Mk. 1:9-11; and Lk. 3:21-22). There you have Jesus, the Son, in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus in the form of a dove, and God the Father saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

Now, everything said so far is pretty basic, and you have hopefully heard all of that at some point in your life. But I wanted to review that before we take it a step further. Because it is only with a right understanding of the Trinity that Scripture beautifully teaches two essential, joyful, wonderful things. First, that God is love. And second, that God is just and merciful.

Scripture teaches that God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16), but that can only be true because of the Trinity. If God were one, He could not be love. Here’s how that works: God is eternal and has always existed. And for God to be love, there has to be an object of His love. If God were one, He could not have love as part of His essence. Love would not be essential to His being. A god who is one and not triune could think highly of himself, but that wouldn’t be love; it would be pride. But with the Trinity it is possible for God to be love. There is an eternal love of the Father for the Son and Spirit. A love of the Son for the Spirit and Father. And a love of the Spirit for the Father and Son. This perfect relationship of love has eternally existed in the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

So, in God Himself, there has always been an object of love. Islam and Judaism cannot say that love is essential to who God is because they do not confess the Trinity. Now after creation, that perfect, eternal love that has always existed between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that love flows from God to us, God’s creatures. God shares that love with us. And, again, we see this most clearly in God giving His Son to save and forgive us.

And because God is love, the blessed Trinity can be merciful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I’m going to pick on Islam to make this point. The false god of Islam is Allah, and the Koran radically teaches that Allah is one. In fact, the Koran intentionally makes fun of Christianity for teaching that the true God is Triune. But again, a god who is one cannot have love as part of his essence. So, for Muslims, Allah has always existed from all eternity, but he existed as a solitary being and cannot have love as part of his essence. A false god like Allah can only be just; he cannot be merciful and loving toward sinners. In short, if god were only one, the story of that one god and his creatures is the story of an all-powerful master with naughty slaves. Maybe that false god could get his slaves back into his service, but he cannot love his slaves and they certainly cannot be his children.

But the true God is Triune. That means that God is perfectly just, but He is also merciful. Because God is Triune, God can provide Himself the sacrifice for sin as Abraham tells Isaac in Gen. 22:8. Salvation can only be by grace if God is Triune. If anyone but God Himself had to provide the sacrifice and satisfaction for sin, first, it wouldn’t be enough – it would not be sufficient. And second, it wouldn’t be by grace.

And if the Holy Spirit were not God, what possible right would He have to bring us into a relationship with God. If the Holy Spirit isn’t God and just a creature, He doesn’t know the mind of God. If the Holy Spirit isn’t God, He is no more use to us than an angel.

But the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is God. The Son has done for us and in our place what we could not do for God. Jesus has come and been perfectly obedient to all of God’s commands. Because He is God, Jesus can render that perfect obedience to God on our behalf. And the Holy Spirit works faith in that work to the Father and Son.

Dear saints, all of this is to say that because God is triune, He can perfectly love and save you by grace. Because God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are not simply His slaves or pets. You are the object of His love. God the Father has created you out of pure love. God the Son has redeemed you out of pure love. And God the Holy Spirit has sanctified you out of pure love. You are saved and redeemed to be God’s children.

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, has come into the world not to condemn you, but in order that you might be saved through Him. Blessed be the holy Trinity. Amen.

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

A Mandate & a Meal – Sermon on John 13:1-15, 34-35 for Maundy Thursday

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John 13:1-15, 34-35

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Tonight is the night when Jesus was betrayed into the hands of evil men, but the plan had already been put into motion. The money had been counted and put in Judas’ pocket on Tuesday of Holy Week. That day, Satan entered into Judas Iscariot through a love of money (Lk. 22:3-6), and he agreed with the chief priests and officers to hand Christ over to them.

This is probably why we do not have any record of what Jesus did on Wednesday of Holy Week. Jesus probably didn’t do much that day. After Jesus entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He would enter the city and preach and teach publicly in the Temple. The Gospels record that these public appearances and teaching happened Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. But there is no record of anything happening on Wednesday.

It is very possible that Jesus didn’t even enter into Jerusalem on Wednesday because He knew the plot. If He had entered into Jerusalem on Wednesday, He would be arrested. It is also probably why He didn’t appear to have a plan on where He and His disciples would celebrate the Passover. Jesus isn’t just a guy who doesn’t like to make plans. His plan was to keep the plan secret. The whole thing is carefully and deliberately orchestrated so that Judas can’t betray Jesus until He is ready.

It isn’t until sometime on Thursday that Jesus sends only two disciples, Peter and John, to find a certain man carrying a water jar, follow him into the house he enters, and tell the master of the house that Jesus would like to eat the Passover there (Lk. 22:7-13). So, until they get to that upper room, only Jesus, Peter, and John know where they will be that Thursday night. Again, Jesus orchestrates all of this so that Judas can’t betray Him secretly. Judas only betrays Jesus when Christ dismisses him to do it.

And Jesus times His betrayal so that He can give His Church a new commandment or ‘mandate’ (which is why tonight is called ‘Maundy Thursday’) and a meal.

The very same night Jesus was betrayed, our Lord washed His disciples’ feet. This foot washing isn’t a Sacrament. There is no word or promise of forgiveness attached to washing feet. This washing was, in a sense, a parable acted out. By serving His disciples in this way, Jesus is showing how He wants them and us to serve and love one another.

Foot washing was a common thing in those days. Anyone who was going to be a guest at a banquet would have their feet washed even if they had just bathed. The walk from one house to another would make a person’s feet dirty and dusty enough to need another washing. But the task of foot washing was always reserved for the lowest servants. A disciple would do many different chores for the rabbi he was following, but foot washing was never one of them. But here, in a beautiful reversal, Jesus, the Rabbi, the Teacher sent from God, and in fact God Himself in the flesh, humbles Himself to do the lowest of tasks for His disciples.

At this point in the supper, all twelve disciples were still there. Judas had not yet left to betray Jesus. So, yes, our Lord washed the feet of Judas and served His betrayer in this way. This foot washing was an act of vulnerability and intimacy. In this washing, Jesus takes their faith and, in return, gives them His righteousness and cleansing.

Judas does not benefit from this, but Jesus still does it for him. Judas rejected the righteousness of Jesus in place of the thirty pieces of silver. Later, Judas will reject forgiveness too. After the crucifixion, Judas seeks atonement in remorse and self-judgment, but he didn’t find it there.

With this foot washing of all the disciples including Judas, Jesus gives us an example that teaches us a very important lesson, and that lesson is this: Love isn’t always easy or clean. Love can often be one-sided and unanswered. Just because you love someone and do selfless acts for them does not mean they will love you in return. And know that you aren’t greater than Jesus. If His love was rejected and repaid with betrayal, yours will be too.

Yet, still Jesus would have you, His disciples, His Christians, love your enemies as you have been loved by Him. Bear one another’s burdens. Forgive and serve one another. That is this new commandment, this new mandate, that Jesus gives. Which, again, is why today is called Maundy Thursday.

But because you do and will fail in this mandate that Jesus gives, Maundy Thursday is more than that. It is the night that Jesus mandates and gives you a meal. Tonight is the night in which Jesus was betrayed, and Judas isn’t the only culprit. Even the disciples who do love Jesus fail Him, but He does not fail them. That is why Jesus gives the disciples more than a mandate. He also leaves them the enduring, continual gift and meal of His living Body and Blood.

We have considered Baptism the past several weeks in our Lenten services, and Baptism is who we are as Christians. In Baptism, we are given God’s name (Mt. 28:19), we are begotten as His children (Jn. 3:3-8), and we are clothed in Christ (Gal 3:27). Baptism defines who we are.

And the Lord’s Supper is what we do because it is what Jesus has given us to do. We are to eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus (1 Cor. 11:23-25) and whenever we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, according to Scripture, we proclaim His death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26). In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus promises that we receive the forgiveness of sins. Is there anything more Christian than receiving Christ’s forgiveness?

When Jesus calls us to eat and drink in remembrance of Him, He doesn’t mean, “Do this while you think fondly about Me and what I did for you a long time ago.” Instead, this remembrance is about faith. Faith recalls and clings to what Jesus did and still does with this bread and cup. According to what Jesus says, this bread is His Body which was broken upon the cross for you, and this cup is His Blood which was shed for you. In faith, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper believing that all of this pertains to us and to our salvation.

Jesus’ death happened nearly 2,000 years ago on a cross outside Jerusalem, but the fruits of that redeeming death are given both before and after. Jesus gives His disciples His Body and Blood even before He makes the sacrifice. And He continues to give the same gifts in every congregation where two or three are gathered. His gift is not bound by time or place.

Both of these things go together – the mandate and the meal, the washing of feet and the Lord’s Supper. They are faith and love in action. With the sacrifice of His body and blood, Jesus loved them. And when He washed their feet, Christ showed them how to love each other as they place their trust in Him.

So, dear saints, follow Christ’s example and do as He has done to and for you (Jn. 13:15). Your Savior became your servant.

And know that when you come to this altar, to this table, you are, in fact, serving the world. The world benefits from you coming here to receive the true Body and Blood of Jesus. This Sacrament drives back the forces of darkness because in this meal, Jesus’ death in the place of sinners is proclaimed (1 Cor. 11:26). Here, Jesus comes to you as a Man, alive and out of the grave. He puts His Body and Blood into you to crucify you to the world and the world to you (Gal. 6:14). As you receive this meal and do this in remembrance of Him, you celebrate His victory over sin, death, and the devil. And those around you will benefit from this. As you are fed and strengthened in your faith, you will go back into the world knowing that God has forgiven you for the sake of Christ.

And, then, when you fail to be the servant Jesus calls you to be, when you fail to love as you have been loved, run back to Jesus. He is always ready to give you another washing and another serving.

Dear saint, you are declared by Jesus to be clean. Your Lord and Savior is here to be your Servant and clean you again. Come and receive what He gives you for your cleaning, for your comfort, for your strengthening. Amen.

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

Love – Sermon on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 for Quinquagesima Sunday

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1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Or as Mr. T would say, “Happy Balentine Day!” 

Love is the highest of all virtues. Faith and hope are right near the top, but love is still the greatest. More on that at the end of the sermon. 

The world doesn’t know what love is. And too often, even we Christians have a misguided understanding of love. Sometimes, love hurts as the band Nazareth said back in ’75. Our problem is that we have associated love with certain feelings, and we wrongly think we are loving when we say or do something that makes us feel good about ourselves. When our feelings become the standard of what is and what is not love, we are in a bad place. What’s even worse is that in our culture today tolerance has risen to the top of all virtues. Can you imagine getting a card from your spouse or parent or child that says, “Happy Valentine’s Day! I tolerate you”? It wouldn’t go well.

To be sure, tolerance is a virtue. There are times where we find the views of others to be strange, wrong, or even abhorrent, but we can still live peaceably with that person. That’s true tolerance, and it is good to be tolerant in that sense. But when the word ‘tolerance’ is used today, that’s not what people usually mean. Today, ‘tolerance’ has come to mean that you endorse or affirm opinions or ideas that are totally unbiblical and unnatural, and if you don’t, you are labeled as ‘intolerant.’ We could do a whole study on the hypocrisy of that mindset, but we’re not going to do that today – at least not directly. Instead, we are going to talk about love in the truest sense.

Love is what this world needs because true love is in short supply. Thankfully, the Scriptures repeatedly show us what true love is, what true love does, and what true love does not do. This text from 1 Cor. 13 is one of the best definitions of love. In v. 4-8a, we are given sixteen different aspects of love – seven describe what love is and nine describe what it is not.

Just to run through them quickly, and I will encourage you to take your Scripture insert home and use two different-colored highlighters to mark what love is and what it is not.

Here is what love is. Love is patient and kind. Love rejoices with the truth. Love is bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things. When you consider the seven things that love is, you and I can quickly see that we are not loving because we are not those things.

Here is what love is not. Love is not envious, not boastful, not arrogant, not rude, and not insistent. Love is not irritable and not resentful (the Gk. there is literally love does not ‘count up wrongdoing.’ I like how other translations do it there, ‘It keeps no record of wrongs.’). Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. Love does not end. When you consider those nine things that love is not, again, you and I quickly see that we are not loving because we are those things.

So, again, Scripture tells us what love is, and we recognize we are not those things. And Scripture tells us what love is not, and we recognize we are those things. Let us all repent.

There is One who is all the things that love is and who is not all the things that love isn’t – God. God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16). We see this most clearly in Jesus. 1 John 4:9-10 says, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the ‘atoning sacrifice’) for our sins.” If we want to see the love described here in 1 Cor. 13 in action and what it looks like in real life, all we have to do is look at Jesus, God in the flesh – embodied love. So, we’re going to play a game here. Let’s consider how Jesus interacted with people and ask if He was loving. I promise there are no tricks here, but there are wrong answers. The purpose of this little exercise is to help us understand how to live a life of love.

First question. Was Jesus loving when He repeatedly taught the disciples that He must be betrayed, go to the cross, suffer, die, and rise again – even though the disciples didn’t understand it (Lk. 9:22; 9:43b-45; 18:31-34)? Yes, Jesus was loving. He was being patient, and He was bearing with the disciples’ misunderstanding.

Next question. Was Jesus loving in our Gospel text (Lk. 18:31-43) when He restored the sight of blind Bartimaeus? Yes, He was being kind. Was Jesus loving when He healed Peter’s mother-in-law of her fever (Mt. 8:14), when He forgave and healed the paralytic who was lowered through the hole ripped open in the roof of His house (Mk. 2:1f), when He cleansed lepers, cast out demons, gave hearing to the deaf, fed the hungry, and raised the dead? Yes, Jesus was loving. He was being very, very kind.

Good job! You’re doing well at our little game. Let’s keep playing and see how many imaginary points you can get.

Was Jesus being loving when He went into the wilderness to fast and be tempted (Mt. 4:1-11; Lk. 4:1-13)? Was He loving when He believed God’s Word rather than the devil’s lies in that temptation? Was He loving when He hoped in God’s provision of food at the right time? Was He loving when He endured those temptations? Yes! Jesus was loving. Remember, love believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Let’s go to round two and make the game a little more difficult here.

Was Jesus loving when He preached the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7)? Jesus taught there that no jot or tittle will pass away from the Commandments. He taught that anger is the same as murder – it’s just murder in your heart. Same with lust. Lust is committing adultery in your heart. Was Jesus loving in that sermon when He teaches you how to love your enemies, how to give, how to pray, and how to fast? Yes, Jesus was loving. Remember, love does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth.

Taking a quick break from our game here to bring this to your everyday life. There are times where you are going to have to correct others. Parents, this duty regularly falls to you, but it isn’t only for parents. If you love your children, you will have to teach your kids right and wrong. You will have to teach them how to deal with people who hate them, how to be generous, how to pray, and how to give up things that are harmful to them.

Let’s step the difficulty in our game up a notch and make it a little harder. Remember, there’s no tricks in this game. For this round, think back to the list of things that love is not. Love is not envious, boastful, arrogant, rude, insistent, or irritable.

Was Jesus loving when He cleared out the Temple (Mt. 21:12-17; Mk. 11:15-18; Lk. 19:45-46; Jn. 2:13-22)? Yes! Jesus was loving. But you might wonder when He saw the sellers and moneychangers and flipped their tables, when He made a whip to drive them out of the Temple, when He was consumed with zeal for God’s house and said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” wasn’t Jesus being envious, rude, and irritable? No, He wasn’t. He was still being loving even though those acts certainly made the sellers and money-changers uncomfortable.

How about when Jesus clearly taught, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” (Jn. 14:6) was Jesus being loving there? Isn’t that being boastful, arrogant, and insistent? No, Jesus wasn’t being any of those things. He was loving. Again, He was rejoicing in and teaching the truth.

We need another break from our game here to apply this to our lives. I hope you all remember Abdi, the leader of the Islamic center just a couple blocks from here. A few years ago, the Islamic center had an event to introduce themselves to the community, who they are and what they do. The people there were extremely kind. They provided a good meal to everyone who came. But one of the presenters that day took a lot of time trying to say that Muslims worship the same God that Christians worship. Which is absolutely false. Sure, they will say that they trace their pagan religion back to Abraham which we do as well. They will point to passages in the Koran that say Jesus is a good teacher who should be listened to. But they deny the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh who died and rose again for the forgiveness of sins. Islam is a false, pagan religion of works not grace.

During that gathering, Abdi invited me to introduce myself, and I wasn’t really prepared to say anything. So, I had to make a split second decision of how to love these people who were being kind and generous but teaching things that are false. I don’t exactly remember what I said, but I simply thanked them for their hospitality and mentioned that I hope to get to know them better and work with them to help the people of our community. I didn’t go on a diatribe of how Muslims will go to hell unless they convert to Christianity. I didn’t rant about the evil, violence, and oppression that Islam promotes. It wasn’t the time to do that. But I was wearing this cross which confesses that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It confesses Jesus’ death and resurrection. I know some people there noticed the cross. And I hope and pray that how I conducted myself there will open the door for opportunities to talk more with those people for whom Jesus died so they too can believe in Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

And I will readily confess, that may have not been most loving thing to do. I admit, there was some cowardice in that moment on my part. God forgive me if anything I did or said was misleading the Muslims there to think I was affirming their pagan beliefs. I don’t think it was misleading in that way. But I hope and pray what I said and did there will open the door to develop good relationships and grant opportunities to point them to Christ. All of this is to say, dear saints, you are, at times, going to be put into positions where you need to be loving and it isn’t crystal clear what the most loving thing to do is. For the time being, we see in a mirror dimly. But know that your words and actions must confess the truth that Jesus is the only way of salvation. That is always loving.

Back to our little game, and this is the final, and in my opinion, most difficult round.

Think back to when Jesus was talking with the woman at the well in Samaria (see Jn. 4:1-42). There are other moments that would work here. But this is my game, so I get to make up the questions. As Jesus talks to her, He offers her the water of eternal life, and the woman is extremely interested to learn more. Then Jesus says, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” But the woman responds, “I have no husband.” And Jesus comes right back saying, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” If love, as defined by Scripture, says that “love is not resentful” (and remember that literally, that means “love does not count up wrongs”), was Jesus being loving there? I mean, Jesus brought up a detailed record of her sins. Was He loving when He did that? Yes, Jesus was being loving. The woman’s adultery was a sin that needed to be addressed and dealt with. She needed repentance and forgiveness, and Jesus gives her both repentance and forgiveness (for God being the source of repentance see Act. 11:18, 5:31).

Dear saints, it is unloving to endorce or celebrate people harming themselves in their life of sin. Parents, it is not loving to allow your children to continually ignore your rules and treat your rules as though they do not matter. It is not loving to repeatedly warn your child of consequences but not follow through on them. For example, if you threaten to punish your kid for standing on the couch but never actually dole out that punishment, they will think that your words aren’t important. And when you warn them that running into the street without looking first is dangerous, they might think you aren’t serious about that either.

Another example, I don’t think any of you are dealing with this specifically – God be praised. But I want to use this example to set up something else. If there is someone in your life who is slowly killing themselves with an addiction to illegal drugs, is it loving to provide a home and access to your money (even if it is by them stealing it)? No, it is not loving. You might need to kick that person out of your house. That person might say that you are being unloving by making them homeless. They might not see your actions as loving, but know that it is not love to help feed that addiction. That sets me up for this:

The same goes for sexual sins. And I’m going to talk about the LGBTQ movement for a moment here. It is not loving to say that it’s ok for two men or two women to pretend to be married. God invented and created marriage to be a man and a woman. And don’t fall for the lie that those relationships don’t harm anyone and aren’t your concern. People who chose to live a homosexual lifestyle are harming themselves and others with diseases and depression. They are harming others by not having children who will become productive members of society. The same goes for men who think they are women and women who think they are men. The hormones they inject into their bodies and the surgeries they may have do irreparable harm. It is not loving to say that those choices aren’t the concern of anyone else and promote them. We do need to correct these things in as kind a way as possible. We do not harangue or yell. We need to let love guide the way in which we correct these things. Build relationships, look for open doors, and speak in kindest and most loving way – always.

Dear saints, I hope this little game we’ve played has been helpful to give your love direction. Know that following and keeping God’s commands and speaking the truth about what God commands is love. When Jesus summarizes the Ten Commandments, He boils it down to this, “Love the Lord your god with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12:28-31). And Romans 13:10distills it down even further when it says, “Love is the fulfilling of the Law.” How we love others in a specific situation isn’t always going to be perfectly clear. But the Commandments and our relationship with others gives us a guide as to how to love others. There will be times where you will have to use your God-given wisdom to know if you need to be patient or kind or speak harsh truths that may not be welcomed or received. And know – know beyond a shadow of a doubt – that you will fail in your love for God and your love for others.

But also know that God hasn’t failed in His love for you. Even though the disciples didn’t know what Jesus meant when He plainly told them that He would die and rise again for them, He did it anyway. Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Well, Jesus went even further. He laid down His life for wicked, unloving sinners. He laid down His life for you.

Love is not one virtue among many. It is the only virtue. The chief virtue. The virtue from which all other virtues flow. When this passage says that love never ends, know what that means for you. Christ’s love never ends, which means that Christ’s love embraces you with a love that will change your mortal body into a resurrected, glorious body. Christ’s unending love for you is why you believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

In this life, our love will always fall short of the real standards of what love is. But Jesus’ love for you doesn’t. God’s love for you in Christ is perfect, complete, and whole.

And the day will come when you will also love perfectly. Your impatience, your cruelty, anger, pride, envy, and bitterness will disappear from your heart. What you now see in a mirror dimly will become crystal clear. God’s pure love will flow through you forever.

That’s why love is the greatest. Faith will cease because it will be replaced by sight. Hope will no longer be needed because it will be exchanged with experience. That’s why love is the greatest of the three. It will never end. God’s steadfast love for you in Christ never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new each and every morning. Now, and unto eternity. For that, God be praised. Amen.

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

God Makes Room – Sermon on Luke 2:1-20 for Christmas Eve 2020

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Luke 2:1-20

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 

14 “Glory to God in the highest, 
and on earth peace among men, with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

The first twenty verses of Luke 2 are extremely well-known. Some of you might be able to recite them word for word, and many of you can probably recite them with a little help here and there. Sure, you might need a little help remembering that Quirinius was governor of Syria. (It’s a hard name to remember.) And it is good that you remember this passage. These verses record for us the most significant event in human history. The only other event that would be tied with the birth of Christ would be His death and resurrection.

But one of the problems with our familiarity with this text is just that – we are familiar with it. With that familiarity comes certain ideas that aren’t part of the text. And those things can get ingrained in our minds. Some of the beauty and brilliance of this event fades away when some common misconceptions about the event overshadow the reality. Well, tonight, I’d like to take this magnificent gem of a text and get it cleaned and polished to remove the haze of one of those misconceptions. We’re mainly going to focus on one verse of the text. And I hope and pray that you are blessed. 

The birth of Jesus takes up one verse and is simply recorded for us in v. 7, “And [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

First let’s lay out the misconception. Unfortunately, we have gotten the idea that Tom Bodett for Motel 6 didn’t leave the light on for Joseph and Mary. (I really hope most of you are old enough to get that reference; if you don’t, you didn’t listen to enough Twins games on the radio in the mid ‘90’s.) All the familiar English translations use the same word there, ‘inn,’ which gives an idea of a hotel. So, we get the idea that, by the time Joseph gets the very pregnant Mary to Bethlehem, it’s late and all the hotels were booked because so many people were there for the census. And it isn’t too hard to imagine that being the case. Anyone who has traveled with a very pregnant lady knows you have to stop for bathroom breaks – a lot of bathroom breaks. The picture in our minds is that Joseph and Mary check at all the hotels, find no rooms available, and end up staying in a stable or barn.

The problem with this is that the word that gets translated as ‘inn’ doesn’t refer to a hotel. In fact, Bethlehem was so small that the little town probably didn’t even have a hotel. Now, the word that gets translated as ‘inn’ here only occurs two other times in the New Testament. The other two times this word gets used are once by Mark and also later at the end of the Gospel of Luke. And both of those times is in the context of Jesus telling His disciples to follow a particular man to his house and say to him, “The Teacher says, ‘Where is My guest room (not ‘inn’ but ‘guest room’ – same word), where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” (Mk. 14:14, Lk. 22:11). And Jesus didn’t institute the Lord’s Supper in a hotel conference room. Also, Luke knows the typical word for an ‘inn’ or ‘hotel’; he uses it in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:34), but it’s a very different word. If Luke had meant to say there were no rooms in the hotels of Bethlehem, he would have, but he doesn’t.

So, we should understand that Luke isn’t talking about hotels. Instead, when Luke says there was no room for Joseph and Mary in the ‘guest room,’ he’s telling us that the couple had arrived at a home – probably the home of one of Joseph’s relatives – but other members of Joseph’s extended family had lodged there and that there was no longer any place for them in the guest room. In fact, it might be even worse. Maybe, when Joseph and Mary get there, the pious, religious relatives learn that Mary is pregnant out of wedlock and they aren’t willing to make a place in the guest room for her even while she is in labor. So, Joseph and Mary only have one option for the birth of the Child and that was the part of the house where the animals were kept. And, just so you know, it was typical back then for houses to have a place for their animals in a lower part of the house.

Now, don’t go home and throw away your nativity sets. Please don’t. They’re good. But it would be good when you look at a Nativity set to tweak your thinking just a little bit. Add this picture to it: Joseph and Mary aren’t out in a pasture away from everything else. Instead, they are inside a full house where relatives are likely talking, eating, drinking, and laughing – just like at a family reunion. And Mary is off to the side, giving birth, wrapping Jesus in swaddling cloths, and laying Him in a feeding trough.

The Messiah, the One whom all of God’s people were waiting for, is finally born, but there is no place for Him to lay His head except for that manger.

So, play this out a little: When the company of angles come to proclaim the greatest news in all of history, they announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. But the shepherds aren’t the first to know about Jesus’ birth. Joseph’s family would have already known. Joseph and Mary probably tried to give an explanation to the family, but they didn’t believe that Mary was miraculously pregnant with Jesus. And, so, they did not make room for the birth and arrival of the Son of God.

Now, this is nothing new. Because of our sin, all humanity is opposed to God’s presence, and in our sin, we have no place for God. That is what we see when Adam and Eve fall into sin. They hear God walking in the garden in the cool of the day but try to hide themselves (Gen. 3:8). It’s what happens after God speaks to His people on Mt. Sinai; they hear His voice and ask Moses to tell God to not talk to them anymore (Ex. 20:18-21, Dt. 18:16). It’s why the scribes and Pharisees reject Jesus even though He repeatedly proves that He is God (see esp. Mt. 26:59-66). It still happens today when people use any and every excuse to not be where Jesus is present with His gifts. In his Gospel (and you will hear these verses in a few minutes), John says it more bluntly than Luke. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (Jn. 1:11).

In the end, we see the sad reality that sinners have no place for the presence of God.

Now, please, don’t finish my sermon for me. This isn’t meant to be a guilt trip. I’m not going to give you a sales pitch appealing to you, “Please, make room for Jesus in your heart.”

Just because God took on flesh and was a helpless Infant, don’t get the impression that Jesus is a fickle, desperate god who is just waiting around for you to make room for Him. Even when He is rejected, when He is pushed out, even when the very people He came to save have no place for Him, He doesn’t twiddle His thumbs and wait for you to make room for Him. Instead, God in His great love for you makes room for Himself.

Don’t let the humility of Jesus’ birth lead you to diminish His power. Even as a little Infant, Jesus is the eternal Son of God, King of kings, Lord of lords. Rather let the humble birth of powerful Jesus lead you to recognize His great love and mercy for you.

Jesus knew what He was coming to and wasn’t surprised that there was no place for Him. But He came anyway. He came to make a room in eternity for those who did not make room for His birth. He knew that the infant hands, feet, and body that Mary swaddled up to keep Him from getting cold would be the same hands, feet, and body that would be nailed to the cross. And He did all of this voluntarily and out of love for you so that He could make an eternal place for you with Him in heaven.

That is the moral of this reading, the whole blessed idea of Christmas, and, in fact, the teaching of all Scripture. God doesn’t wait for you to make room for Him. If you don’t make room for Him, He just nestles in anyway. Whenever He comes, He comes to you to bring you His love, mercy, and forgiveness. Jesus made room in His heart for you. All of your life and salvation is not about how open you are to God rather on how He is open to you. And the the birth of your Savior shows, proves, demonstrates, and manifests how open He is to you.

And Christmas then is the time when we do nothing but watch our God come in the flesh and simply say, “Thank you.”

One more thing and then I’ll stop. Luke is a historian. He is detailed and precise. He mentions all the details about it being the first census when Quirinius was governor, etc. which helps prove the factuality of his Gospel. And Luke does this in all his writings. But notice how Luke is fairly vague in v. 7. He simply and briefly records the fact that Jesus was born and laid in a manger because there was no place in the guest room, and he leaves it at that. Luke doesn’t name names or give addresses. He doesn’t criticize, scorn, or belittle Joseph’s relatives for their rejection of Jesus. He doesn’t throw them under the bus. He simply says, there wasn’t room.

Here’s the point: It isn’t a stretch of the imagination at all to think that the very people who refused to make a place for Jesus when He was born became Christians by the time Luke wrote his Gospel. So, Luke covers their sin and doesn’t call it out. Jesus does the same for you.

Because of what Christ has done by coming to earth, being born in such a humble manner, by giving His life on the cross, and by rising again for you, your sins are removed from you as far as the east is from the west.

And God be praised. You are here tonight. You have rightly made room in your celebration tonight for the birth of the Savior who has made room for you.

People loved by God: Merry Christmas! Amen.[1]

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

[1] I am thankful for a sermon by Pr. Jared Melius for the direction of this sermon.

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

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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.

Marvel – Sermon on Matthew 8:1-13 for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

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Matthew 8:1-13

1 When [Jesus] came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

centurion with a sick servant5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today we have two very different people approaching Jesus. The first is a leper (people with leprosy are called ‘lepers’ not ‘leopards’ as some seem to think – kids and adults alike). This leper has absolutely nothing. Leprosy was a terrible skin infection that would eat away at a person’s flesh and destroy the nerves. One of the worst things about leprosy was that you could cut or burn or injure yourself and not even know it.

Leprosy did damage to a person’s body, but even worse, it damaged society. Lepers would live separately from everyone else to avoid infecting others. Even while leprosy ate away at a person’s flesh, it also ripped apart relationships – husbands and wives, parents and children. And if a leper did encounter someone who was uninfected, they would have to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” to avoid spreading the disease. If you heard a leper warning you of his presence, you would get out of the way to avoid becoming leprous yourself.

Contrast all of that with the second person who approaches Jesus, the centurion. Roman Centurion Armor and Shield“Centurion” was his title and meant he was a commander over one-hundred soldiers. Centurions wore impressive armor including a helmet with all the feathers sticking out of the top, a shiny breastplate, a metal skirt, and a huge shield. Like a leper, a centurion’s command was also obeyed, but not to avoid becoming one of them. A centurion could say, “Go,” and the soldier would go. “Destroy,” and they would destroy. “Kill,” and they would kill.

Roman centurions were also very religious. The Romans believed in many pagan gods, but their chief god was Jupiter, the god of the sky. They believed that Jupiter threw lightning bolts when he was angry. Romans, like many other pagan religions, believed that if you wanted something from your god, you had to offer a gift or bribe to get that god on your side like Naaman did with his silver, gold, and cloths in our Old Testament text (2 Kgs. 5:1-15). But here in this text, the centurion approaches Jesus in Capernaum with completely empty hands. His beloved servant is paralyzed and dying at home, and he can’t do anything about it. He recognizes that he has no strength, no authority, no power over the condition of his servant.

Don’t miss the significance of this. A man with his power, influence, and strength could easily replace a measly servant. All he had to do was say the word, and the soldiers under his command would find another person with better skills or more strength to be his slave. For this centurion to go to Jesus would have been a despicable display of weakness not only in the eyes of his peers but also for the soldiers under his command. More on this later. And now he approaches Jesus with no gifts, no bribes, no promises. This centurion comes with nothing but a plea, “My servant is lying at home and dying. Don’t come to my house because I am not worthy to have You under my roof. Just say the word, and he will be healed.”

Jesus marvels. And if Jesus marveled at this man’s faith, so should we. Here is “a man of strength coming in weakness, a man of wealth coming in poverty, a Gentile coming in faith” (Rev. David Petersen). With no attempt to bribe, he simply trusts in the mercy of Jesus, God in the flesh, the One with real authority and power, full of mercy and compassion.

It is no marvel that Jesus found no such faith in Israel. But instead of casting stones at them, we should ask ourselves: would Jesus find such faith among us? How often are our prayers attached to promises of living a better life, being more obedient or more faithful? How often do we try to bargain with God in order to gain His favor? Repent.

Even if from this moment on, you promised to be perfectly obedient (which is impossible), without God’s mercy you and I are still unworthy for the Lord to come under our roof. The only thing we are worthy of is to be cast into the outer darkness of hell for all eternity.

Christ of St John on the Cross Salvador DaliRepent, but do not despair. Jesus, God in the flesh, comes down from the mountain in order to save us. He is a God of mercy and grace. He comes to make the unworthy worthy and the unholy sacred. Jesus willingly approaches the untouchable leper to touch and heal. And Christ has compassion upon a centurion who appeared to have everything, but in reality, had nothing.

May we also have such faith as we approach our compassionate God who willingly and marvelously went to the cross to bear our sins. Christ was cast out of society with nothing but a cross and a crown of thorns. Though Jesus is the Lord of hosts, He did not call the angels to deliver Him as He was pinned to the cross. Instead, in love He shed His holy and precious blood to heal our souls. He bears all our sin in His body on the cross and proves that He is stronger than the devil. He shuts Satan’s mouth and triumphs over sin, death, and hell by His resurrection. He says, “Go,” to your sins and they go. He says, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden,” and you come and find rest for your soul (Mt. 11:28).

Remember, for this centurion to come to Jesus was an act of humility. He could have simply found another servant, but the centurion humbles himself to seek Jesus’ help because of his love for his servant. The centurion becomes a picture of what it means to be a Christian. His faith in Christ is manifested in love for his neighbor in a marvelous way.

The centurion is a Christ figure for his servant. Though he had power and authority, the centurion humbles himself to serve his servant. And, Christian, so do we. Through faith, we have everything since we are children of the Most High God. Yet, through love, we use our access to God in order to serve our neighbor by interceding on their behalf. Through faith, we receive treasures from above, from God. Through love we release those treasures below to our neighbors (Luther).

May our faith in Christ manifest itself in love for our neighbor so that the earth may know the mercies of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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

No Conflict – Sermon on Luke 10:23-37 for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

Listen here.

Today, at Christ the King, we had our first Stewardship Sunday. This sermon is slightly shorter for that reason. The presentation/catechesis on Biblical Stewardship will be available later.

Luke 10:23-37

23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For 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.”

Jesus Good Samaritan Icon

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Too often, when we hear the summary of the Law, “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself,” we see it as setting up an order of operations. First, love God; then second, love neighbor so long as it doesn’t conflict with loving God. That is the attitude the priest and the Levite had in the parable.

According the laws of Moses, they needed to protect themselves from becoming unclean. If they helped the man in the ditch, they might defile themselves by touching a dead person and not be able to do their priestly functions. They are essentially saying to themselves, “I feel bad for this poor guy. I will pray for him. But if I go over there and help him, I won’t be able to do the sacrifices or declare people clean and free from sin. And I have been called by God to be faithful in those works. So, if I go help this guy, I might become unable to do those things, I will be unfaithful to God.”

The priest and Levite were convinced that they couldn’t help their neighbor because they had a higher obligation to love God. Too often, we think the same way.

We avoid people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol because Scripture tells us to avoid the appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22), and we don’t want to tarnish our reputation as a good Christian by being around people who have vices. When people are cruel and angry because they have been absolutely broken, we avoid them because they bring out the worst in ourselves. However, we should be going out of our way to love and befriend them and earn their trust. But we don’t do that because we think we have a higher duty to God to keep ourselves righteous so we try to maintain a safe distance from people who might make us to become unrighteous and jaded.

But one of the things Jesus shows us in the parable of the Good Samaritan is this misunderstanding between loving God and loving our neighbor. This parable is a nice explanation of what we are told in 1 John 4:20 which says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Love of God and love of neighbor are never in conflict with each other. God wants us to show our love for Him by loving our neighbor.

We have called today “Stewardship Sunday,” and we have had a lot of focus on what God’s Word has to say about our tithes and offerings. And this text has something to say about our giving to the church as well. Just as loving our neighbor does not conflict with loving God, loving God does not conflict with loving our neighbor either.

I might be wrong on this, but I would venture to guess that the prevailing attitude about giving to the church is seen as fulfilling the first of the two great commandments – to love God. And very often, we think giving to the church is not seen as fulfilling the second – to love our neighbor. At least, this is a common accusation of the world against the church, and I don’t think we are immune to those accusations.

Maybe, you have seen different threads on social media that pop up from time to time which basically say, “If money is the root of all evil, why do they keep asking for it in church?” Never mind the fact that they aren’t quoting Scripture correctly. The verse (1 Tim. 6:10), says, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evils…”

But also, the world will say that Christians are hypocrites because giving to the church means they don’t care about the hungry and poor. They’ll say that Christians are so busy loving God by giving money to the church that they are refusing to love their neighbor. But there is no conflict between the two.

Scripture says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Every neighbor you come into contact with is a sinner. And what do sinners need most? Even if they are naked and starving, sinners’ greatest need to hear the Gospel. They need to hear the Word preached. They need the Sacraments. They need to be pointed to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In other words, they need the Church.

So, Christian, see what you are doing when you give to the church. You are doing exactly what the Good Samaritan did in the parable. You are providing for the continual care of those whom Christ has redeemed. Remember, the Good Samaritan gave the innkeeper money to care for the robbed man and promised to return and pay off any expenses that weren’t covered by his initial two denarii.

After the parable concluded, Jesus asked the lawyer, “Who proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”And the lawyer rightly responded, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said, “You go, and do likewise.”

Have mercy and compassion on your neighbor by making sure that they have the blessing of seeing what you see and hearing what you hear. Make sure they have a place where they can go to hear of Jesus. Where they can have their wounds bound up by Christ’s absolution. Where they can have the oil and wine of the Sacraments poured on their sinful scars. Where they can recover in the inn of the church.

Christian, you go, and do likewise. Do this, but don’t ever draw strength and assurance by how well you have loved your neighbor. Instead, draw strength to love your neighbor by how God Himself has loved and cared for you.

Good Samaritan Jesus IconBecause, first and foremost, the parable of the Good Samaritan is a picture of what Jesus has done for you. Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the Good Samaritan who has compassion. He left His throne in the glory of heaven to become your neighbor. He risks His own safety while scoundrels and robbers are roaming about. He stops to give you aid. He pours on you oil and wine. He gives up His own comfort and convenience to bring you to the inn of the holy Christian Church. And Jesus sets up an all-expenses-paid stay there promising to return. Jesus is the one who has and continues to show you mercy. Amen.

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

 

Additional thoughts on the text that were removed from the sermon:

You can’t do something to gain an inheritance. All Scripture shows that God’s people do not inherit eternal life by doing something. As our Epistle Text (Gal. 3:15-22) said, the inheritance of eternal life has always and will always come through the promise of God. The lawyer knew this. He knew exactly what he must do to have eternal life. Love God perfectly and love his neighbor perfectly which is exactly how Jesus Himself sums up the Law (Mt. 22:34-40). Jesus tells the lawyer, “Bingo! Do this, and you will live.”But Jesus might just as well have said, “Yup. Go to hell.”

And the lawyer gets it. He sees how he is stuck in his sin. The Law has exposed him for the wretched sinner that he is. The Law has left him scared and confused because he doesn’t know the Gospel. He wants an out and clamors for a loophole. He asks, “Well, who is my neighbor? Whom should I love?”

But every Sunday school student knows the answer. “Who is my neighbor?” Everyone. “Whom should I love?” Everyone and without fail. But Jesus doesn’t tell the parable to answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells the parable to change the question to get the answer He wants. The point of the parable is not to teach us to love everyone. Scripture teaches that all over the place but here, not in this parable.

Instead, Jesus tells the parable because He wants to show the lawyer and you hope. Jesus wants to show you what God mercifully does for you. He wants your eyes to see and your ears to hear the Gospel.