Tag Archives: Nation

Hope that Heralds – Sermon on 1 Peter 3:8-17 for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity

1 Peter 3:8-17

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Look again at v. 15. (I’m sorry the sermon reading fell on a page turn in your bulletin.) Peter encourages you to always be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. So, Peter anticipates that you, Christian, will face a particular question about your hope. This question implies that hope isn’t only something that’s deep inside you—in your mind or heart. No, dear saints, your hope is something that will manifest itself. Your hope speaks. Your hope heralds to the world because your hope changes, guides, and directs who you are. Your hope influences how you use your words and how you behave in such a way that the world is going to recognize that there is something different about you. Believer, Jesus declares that you are the light of the world (Mt. 5:14). When you are asked about the reason for the hope within you, that is because Jesus has made you the light of the world that shines in a dark place.

So, I have a question: When was the last time somebody asked you that? When was the last time somebody asked you, “Why do you hope the way you do?” or, “What’s the reason for your hope?” Maybe some of you get asked this question regularly—all the time. But I would guess that most of us aren’t fielding that question too often. And there are a couple possible reasons we aren’t asked this question.

One reason is that you don’t actually hope in anything different than what the world hopes. You just blend right in with them. Like the world, you hope that your income will cover your expenses. Like the world, you hope that your retirement account will keep growing or (if you’re already retired) will last long enough. Like the world, you hope that the wars and violence and troubles you see will settle down. The world might not see any difference between your hopes and theirs, so they aren’t going to ask you why you hope the way they do. Now, just to be clear, none of those hopes are bad or sinful per se. But if that’s all you hope for and you don’t have higher hopes, you should repent and examine your priorities. As a Christian, your priorities and hopes should be much higher and have a lot longer view than that.

The second reason you might not be asked for the reason for the hope in you is that you actually are being asked this question—you just don’t realize it. And I think this reason is much more likely. That’s why Peter tells us that we need to be prepared. I’m willing to wager that people really are asking about your hope, but they aren’t asking verbatim, “What is the reason for the hope that is in you?”

Instead, they might just start talking about things that are happening in their life because their life isn’t going well. Or they might comment on the news and how chaotic things are all over the world. They are concerned about things going on around them and talk about that, but they’re actually asking you for a reason for your hope, they just don’t say it straight out because they’re embarrassed or scared to admit their fears and worries.

You’ve probably gotten used to people ‘testing the waters’ (so to speak) with other kinds of questions. We Midwesterners are especially known for this. You’ve probably had people ask you about your plans for the weekend, but what they’re really asking is if they can tag along with you. (I’m not saying that’s wrong or that the person is lying, but being direct is usually a better way to converse with others.) 

Some people will talk to you about things that they don’t feel comfortable talking about with others. What they’re doing—even though they don’t realize it—is asking you to explain why you’re different or why you have the hope that you have as a believer. Part of being prepared to make a defense is being able to discern when someone is opening a door for you to give the reason for your hope.

So, what is the reason for your hope? What makes a Christian’s hope so different that it shows, that it is manifest, that it heralds? At the end of v. 14, Peter says, “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.” Literally, the Greek there reads, “Do not fear what they fear.” Most translations do something similar to what the ESV does. (I don’t want to get too deep into the reason it’s translated that way because it takes a while. You can ask me later.) Basically, the verse is specifically addressing the topic of believers who might be suffering and face persecution for doing what is right. But the principle reaches further than just that. The reason you believers have a hope that will bring inquiries is the simple fact that you aren’t afraid of the things this world is afraid of. The things that terrify unbelievers don’t cause you any concern.

Think of how anxious you would be if you didn’t have faith in Christ. Unbelievers live in the false idea that they have to make their own way in this world without a loving Creator who is their heavenly Father. Without a merciful Redeemer who died for all their sins. And without a comforting Sanctifier who advocates for them in heaven’s courtroom. That would be horrible, but even beyond that, unbelievers have to earn their own happiness. If they want any sense of security and safety, it would have to come from their own hands. Basically, they would have to fight for it. Their conscience testifies against them, so they struggle with always having to excuse their sin or live under that constant accusation. For an unbeliever every aspect of life is full of uncertainty. If they believe this world and life is all there is, then it truly is a survival of the fittest. Even if they believe there is a god (little ‘g’ god), they don’t know for certain how to get that god on their side.

In our Gospel reading (Lk. 5:1-11), we saw how Peter had known that kind of fear firsthand. He was going about his life with his boat, his nets, and his fish trying to make a living in this world. Suddenly, Peter realized that he was standing before the almighty Son of God. He fell to his knees and cried out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Lk. 5:8). Everything that mattered to Peter evaporated in a moment because he realized God was there with him in the boat and that he was a sinner. Unbelievers know the same thing could happen to them at any moment. Anyone who doesn’t have faith in Christ knows—deep down, they know—that any sense of security they have could be pulled out from under them in a flash because their security and their hopes are all a facade.

But for you, dear saints, you don’t fear what the world fears. You don’t have to worry about your future because it is in God’s omnipotent, merciful hands. You don’t have to be afraid for your health, your home, your children, your job. You have nothing to fear because you have God’s promise to forgive you all of your sins.

As a believer, you know that you are now a child of God. You know that, because you have the forgiveness of your sins, you are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Sure, you are still a citizen of this world and fall into similar worries of unbelievers. But you also believe in the life of the world to come. Yes, you have an earthly citizenship and a heavenly one, so the trials and tribulations of this world hit you differently because you have a higher hope.

Stick with me as I change gears for a minute to reflect on your hope in light of the 250th birthday of our country.

America isn’t perfect. (There’s an understatement for you.) America isn’t perfect, but it is still one of if not the most blessed nations God has ever given throughout the history of the world. I’m not talking about the country we had 10, 20, 50, or however many years ago. I’m talking about the country you woke up in this morning. We should be extremely and profoundly thankful for the nation we have right now.

You live in a nation where the Word of God is plentiful. You probably have several Bibles in your home. Even if you don’t have a physical Bible, you can get one on a device. You are free to gather with other Christians. In fact, you could move anywhere in this country and be within an hour’s drive to a faithful Lutheran congregation where the Word is taught in its truth and purity and the Sacraments are given as Christ instituted them. God has richly blessed us. We should make it a point today (and every day) to thank Him.

Yet even in this blessed nation, people live in fear. They are anxious about the news, about division, about the economy, about the future. They are afraid of what might happen if things keep going the way they are or if they don’t return to something else in the past. But you, believer, you do not have to live that way because your hope is different. You have Christ. And in Christ, you have a good conscience before God.

You are prepared to give a defense of your hope because you have a good conscience. That’s why you aren’t afraid of what they fear. That’s why you are ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you. You have a good conscience.

Sure, you have plenty going on in your life, just like everyone else in this world does. But unlike them, you can live unafraid, with a clean conscience before your heavenly Father for the sake of Christ Jesus. God is not against you—He is for you. Christ has cleansed you from all your sins by His blood. He has sprinkled you clean in Baptism. He feeds you with His own Body and Blood in the Supper. He promises to bring you to the home of your hope in heaven.

That is why your hope heralds. It shows, and people notice the difference. They ask—sometimes directly—but often in roundabout ways. Dear saints, be ready. The reason for the hope that is in you is Jesus. He has taken away your sin. He has given you a good conscience. He is your hope now and forever. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.

Guilt, Anger, and Forgiveness – Sermon on Luke 2:41-52 for the First Sunday after Epiphany

Listen here.

Luke 2:41-52

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I will be making some comments about what has gone on and what is going on in our country, but to do so, I’m going to lay some groundwork from this text first.

One of the most remarkable things we see in this text is the fact that God the Father put His own dear Son into the care of very fallible parents. Now, God didn’t have a choice in that. Anyone God would choose to be the parents of the Savior of the world would be fallen, sinful, people. But here we see what is probably the worst case of child neglect in all of the Scriptures.

Imagine taking your family on a long road trip – let’s say you’ve driven to Houston, Texas (I don’t know why Houston, but it’s my analogy, and I get to pick). It’s time to return home. You get everything packed up and start driving. As you travel down the road, you pray for safety and begin to have a conversation with your spouse. Your kids are in the back quietly reading, staring out the window, watching a movie, or playing on their devices. After a couple of hours, you ask your twelve-year-old a question, but there is no answer. So, you ask one of the other kids, and get a response. You don’t think it’s really a big deal that your twelve-year-old didn’t answer, so you don’t turn around to see why he is silent. Eventually, you stop for gas and snacks. The kids go to the bathroom, and you get back on the road. You try to engage with your twelve-year-old again, and still no answer. Finally, you get to the hotel in Kansas where you are planning on staying and check in. As everyone gets settled in the room, you realize your twelve-year-old isn’t there. So, you go check the lobby, the pool, and the car. Still no twelve-year-old. You ask the other kids, and they inform you that the twelve-year-old never got in the car before you left Houston.

You finally get back to Houston and find your kid in the church you attended. He’s sitting and politely listening to a Bible study. Are you going to get after your twelve-year-old for treating you badly? The whole drive back to Texas, are you going to yell at your other kids for not telling you one of their siblings wasn’t in the car? If I’m being totally honest, I might.

Well, that’s the modern equivalent of what happened in this text. Joseph and Mary completely dropped the ball, failed as parents, and are guilty of serious neglect. We can’t go soft on Joseph and Mary here. They had a serious lapse in judgment. They left the big city with their friends and family while their twelve-year-old Son stayed. They didn’t think much of it at first. They figured He must be with the group, but He wasn’t. So, back they travel to Jerusalem, search for two more days, and finally, on the third day, they find Jesus listening to the teachers and learning from them.

And hear again what Mary does. She speaks to her perfect, sinless Son in a stern tone, “Son, why have you treated us this way? Your dad and I have been worried sick about you and searching for you.” Don’t skip over that. I have little doubt that Mary felt her guilt and sin. She should have known better. She knew that Jesus was God’s miraculous Son, born to set people free from sin. He was the Messiah and Savior of the world. She was chosen by God to protect and raise the long-awaited Messiah, and she had failed. She knew her guilt. But notice what that guilt and shame does to her. Instead of owning up to it, confessing it, and repenting, she projects her guilt on to Jesus.

We all have this fight or flight instinct when our guilt is hunting us down. Unfortunately, we most often chose to fight, but it’s never a fight we can win. The best we can do is drag others down with us, but we do it anyway. The best option would be to simply say, “I’m sorry; I was wrong.” But we don’t. We attack and we try to circle the wagons around us. Repent.

All of this brings me to the events in our nation’s capitol this past week.

First of all, it was wrong. It is a shameful thing that the world was watching that happen in the greatest, most blessed nation in the history of the world. It should not have been and we are already seeing the impact on our culture. And there are a lot of questions. Who were the people who did this, and why were they doing it? But I’m not going to get into that because it doesn’t matter for the purposes of this sermon. I will simply say that we need to let the process work. As information is gathered, that will all be sorted out and those who have broken the law should be prosecuted and punished.

As Christians, we should be united in saying that what happened was wrong and we should have similar feelings about it as we did when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center on 9/11.

There has been a lot of rhetoric surrounding the storming of the Capitol. Some will say that the right is to blame, and others will point the finger back at the left and how they cheered on the various protestors over the last six months. Both sides have valid points. But here’s the deal. All of that needs to stop because it doesn’t help the situation. And as followers of Jesus, we need to be the first to shut our mouths when it comes to blaming “them” – whoever “them” is.

Jesus is clear about this. In Luke 13[:1-5], Jesus gets asked about a time when Pontius Pilate killed some Galileans while they were offering their sacrifices. The people bringing this question to Jesus are looking for Jesus to speak out against the evil of Pilate. But Jesus doesn’t have it. He responds, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners… because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Then, Jesus even goes further and adds, “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

In other words, whenever there is injustice and tragedy, your Savior calls you as an individual to repent. Whether the injustice comes from the authorities whom God has placed in those positions to keep and promote peace, or whether it is some natural disaster, whatever the case may be, the problems you see in this world should cause you and I to individually repent.

Back to Mary. In light of her pain, grief, and guilt, she blames Jesus for all of her feelings of distress. She says, “Why have You treated us so?” In other words, Mary is saying, “Jesus, you’ve made us feel bad.” And we all fall into the same trap of projecting our guilt away from ourselves. Repent.

We don’t get a free pass for our sinful feelings. We chose to feel the way we feel. We are not animals. We chose our reactions. Yes, we can be provoked and prodded, but that does not excuse us from our sinful actions and reactions. We indulge ourselves in our anger and choose to take vengeance for ourselves, while God says, “Vengeance is Mine. I will repay” (Dt. 32:35; Ro. 12:19; Heb. 10:30). But we aren’t content to wait for God’s action, so we take it up ourselves. And this is pride which is in violation of God’s Commands.

But now watch how Jesus responds. Jesus has to address this accusation from His mother. Mary has accused Jesus of breaking the 4th Commandment by not honoring His father and mother, so He cannot be silent. But watch what Jesus does. He does rebuke Mary and her anger toward Him, but He does it in the kindest way. He doesn’t say, “Hold on there, mom. Back up. You’re the one who is supposed to be watching out for Me.” Instead, He says, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” 

In this rebuke, Jesus isn’t defending His honor; instead, He’s defending His work. He has to be sinless to be the Savior and die for the sins of the world.

So, Mary stands rebuked by God in the flesh, and thanks be to God she accepts it – to her absolute credit. She might have been tempted to snap back at Jesus, “Listen you tween, what do you mean by that?” But she doesn’t. She submits to the rebuke in humility. And notice that even though neither Mary nor Joseph fully understand what Jesus is saying (see v. 50), yet still, she submits to His correction.

Here’s the point. Jesus is your Savior, and He will rebuke you when you do wrong and have guilt, but He does it kindly and gently so that you repent and return to Him for His mercy and forgiveness. May we, when we are rebuked by Christ also accept that rebuke, repent, and receive His forgiveness and delight in His presence. And when we are wrongly accused of sin, may we follow in Jesus’ steps and not put up our fists to defend our honor. Instead, let us be calm, measured, and offer correction and forgiveness.

After this, Jesus returned to Galilee with His fallible parents and lived in submission to them. Dear saints, this shows us that God works in and through families by shedding His light of mercy and forgiveness in and through them. Parents, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your failures and shortcomings disqualify you from being a good parent. One of the best things you can do for your kids is confess your failures, receive forgiveness from them and from Christ, and teach them that God’s grace and mercy is the most important thing in the world. And as you do that, love your spouse, hug your kids, share with them the forgiveness of Christ. That will do more for this country and the world than anything else you can do. 

Dear saints, there appears to be difficult days ahead of us. If you want to start changing the world, pour yourself into your family and those that God puts into your life. Because it isn’t great power that holds evil in check. Don’t be conformed to this world in thinking that way. Instead, be transformed by God’s Word which renews your mind (Ro. 12:2) recognizing that it is the small, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay.

And above all, live in the free gift of forgiveness that Christ has given you. In the midst of this fallen world, keep singing the songs of Zion. May our Savior return quickly and deliver us from our exile and captivity. Amen.

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