Pentecost 13 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“From Never! to Yes!”

Text: Matthew 16:21-28; Romans 12:9-21

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.

That’s what Peter said. His response to bad news. The bad news that Jesus was going to be killed.

It’s our natural reaction. To bad news. A loved one tells us they have cancer and are going to die. A friend loses their job and tells you they’re going to lose their home. A high risk person gets Covid, someone goes on hospice care, the doctor says there’s no more they can do . . . No! is our natural reaction. It’s going to be alright. You’re going to get better. That’s not going to happen.

But our denials don’t change anything. These things do happen. Maybe we just don’t want to think about it. We don’t want to imagine life without this person. So Peter’s reaction? Yeah, I get it. I probably would have - I probably have! - said the same thing.

So today, in the Holy Gospel, we heard an interesting contrast. Jesus sees death as something He MUST do. Peter sees death as something that should NEVER happen. Both are right.

Peter’s right - death should not happen. It was never meant to happen. Evolutionists say that death is just a part of life, that death makes us stronger, in fact, weeding out the weak. But the Scriptures tell us what we know; what each of us knows: that death isn’t right. Death isn’t natural. Death has been imposed on us. It’s not a part of life, it’s the enemy of life. The result of sin. And while it is, it shouldn’t be. Peter is right.

Which is why Jesus must die. Because we die. If there is going to be any help for us at all, any hope for us at all, Jesus must die. That dying, He rise and destroy the power of death. The power death has over us. Which is the power of sin. Sin which doesn’t just cause us to do wrong things, but robs us of life by separating us from God. Sin which says: Do this and you’ll live! And we do and we die. We become less, not more. The satisfaction, if there at all, is short-lived. And the power of sin over us increases. We feel guilty, yet we do it again. We are disappointed, yet we do it again. I don’t want to be that way, yet I do it again. 

So Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God, must die. For me. If there is going to be any help or hope for me at all. He must break the power of sin and death or it will never be broken. The good news for us is that He has. But Peter and the others are still learning that. 

And then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.“

And while we aren’t told how Peter responded to this statement of Jesus, we can fill in the blank: No! This shall never happen to me! It’s our natural reaction. If I don’t want the cross for others, I certainly don’t want it for me. There must be some other way . . .

But here is the difference between life in this world and life in the next. Between the kingdom of the world and God’s kingdom. In this world, in this life, in this kingdom, there are other ways. If one way doesn’t work, shift your weight, pivot to something else. If one tactic or strategy isn’t working, come up with another. Or buckle down and try harder. 

But for eternal life, there is no other way. There are no pivots or other stategies and tactics. There’s just Jesus. 

Now, you’re all good Lutherans, so you know that. And maybe you’ve sitting there - either here, in person, or at home, watching our live stream - and thinking that I haven’t told you anything you don’t already know. Maybe. But now hold up these words that you know in your mind and believe in your heart next to your life, how you’re actually living. Is there is a disconnect? Any inconsistency? Don’t bother to answer. I know the answer. I know it from my own mirror.

We talk about eternal life, and yet live as if this life is all there is. We talk about God’s kingdom and keep building our own. We talk self-denial but live self-fulfillment. We talk about bearing the cross but try to get out from under it as often and as quickly as we can. We say we follow Jesus, but does that mean for you as much as following people on social media? Thumbs up! But it’s really more of a virtual reality? It’s true, isn’t it?

So it’s good for us to hear these words again. To connect our hearts and minds with our hands and feet. In those ways that Paul talked about today in the Epistle. Outdo one another in showing honor. Be constant in prayer. Bless those who persecute you. Associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Never avenge yourself. Feed your hungry enemy. Give your enemy something to drink. Repay no one evil for evil, but overcome evil with good. That’s a tall order. A heavy cross to bear.

And it really is: a cross. Normally, when people hear about bearing the cross, they don’t think of stuff like that - they think of suffering; that it’s all about suffering. And that’s true. But it’s more. It’s more about death. And aren’t all those things Paul talked about there, like death? Killing you? Killing your old, sinful, selfish man? Killling your ability to put you and your wants at the center? Focusing you not on your life and not on your kingdom, but on God and others? 

But don’t therefore think and fall back into the same trap that you can do these things if you just buckle down and try harder. You’ll just fall harder. It’s all got to start with Jesus, end with Jesus, and have Jesus all in between! Because this is His life that Paul is describing here. So if you’re going to live it, He’s got to give it. If you’re going to live it, that old man’s got to go, and a new man arise. A Jesus man, which only Jesus can create and keep alive in you.

So it all starts with your baptism, for there, as Paul said earlier in Romans (chapter 6), is where Jesus’ cross was first applied to you. That’s where you died and rose with Christ and became a new man. There your sins were forgiven and you rose to live a new life. 

Only you didn’t live that new life. Your sinful nature got the best of you. Satan’s temptations sounded reasonable to you. The ways of the world looked good to you. And you followed them, not Christ. And really, not virtually. And the guilt came, and disappointment came, and death began licking its chops for you. 

So Jesus called out to you: come back. Come back to your baptism. Come back to the cross. You’re filthy, but here I make you clean. You’re guilty, but here I forgive you. You’re my child. Don’t be afraid. Repent. And live. Not a life you save, but the life I save. For only My life is greater than your death.

And you’re renewed, forgiven, raised again . . . until you’re not. Until: Hey Lord! I did unto others, but they didn’t do unto me! This cross, these people, they’re crushing me! This life . . . it ain’t easy.

So good thing you’re not alone, huh? Jesus says. For you’re right. By yourself, that cross is too heavy for you to bear. But I am with you. Didn’t I promise you that? If you bear a cross, it’s because I bore it first. For your good - your eternal good. You need My strength. So here, My Body. Here, My Blood. What you did to me I don’t do unto you either. Remember that. Do this in remembrance of Me. Of what I did in return for what you did. For you. And receive the forgiveness, the life, the strength, the salvation you need. Here. 

For what’s the alternative? Gain the whole world and forfeit your soul? You think that’s a good trade? That’s a sucker’s trade. But PT Barnum wasn’t the only one to think there’s one of those born every minute. Satan knows it too. And he’s more of a con man and huckster than Barnum ever was. But no con from Jesus. Only the truth. Life and death. Straight up, no sugar-coating. If you follow Jesus, know that satan is going to follow you! To hound you and bite at your heels, set traps for you and try to bring you down. But if you follow Jesus, he will not succeed. Not in the end. He might win battles, but he’s already lost the war. And for the battles you lose, there is forgiveness from the one who won the war.

And when the Son of Man comes with his angels in the glory of his Father, he will repay each person according to what he has done. 

That’s not works righteousness, but rather a promise that your reward is in the future. Right now, you may not see it. In fact, things might look pretty bleak. It’s not for nothing that the psalms often complain that the evil prosper and the righteous suffer. But don’t rely on what you see, but on what you hear - the words and promises of God. What you see will deceive you and let you down - like satan playing three-card Monte with you! But the Word of God will not. Want proof? The empty tomb that was revealed when the stone was rolled away is your proof. What He said, He did. 

And then finally, Jesus says, Truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

Now, some people think that because the disciples died, Jesus was just wrong here. But Jesus didn’t say they wouldn’t die, but that they wouldn’t taste death. Interesting phrase, yes? For what do you think death tastes like? Well, you know. It is bitter, awful. When someone we love dies, it is a bitter pill to swallow. Judas died in bitterness and despair.

But for those in Jesus, for those baptized into Him and fed by Him and forgiven by Him, death has been transformed. It still isn’t natural. It still shouldn’t be. But it is. So Jesus transformed it. He transformed it from the end of life to the beginning of life. So when the disciples died, when the early martyrs died - and often in horrible ways! - death was not bitter for them. They often rejoiced! They didn’t resist. The Church began calling those days birthdays - into heaven. Now I’m sure it was hard and very painful! But their Lord, their Jesus, was with them. Taking them with Him through death and the grave to life. From the sleep of death to the morning of Paradise.

Which brings us back to how I started this sermon . . . Our natural reaction to death is to say No! But because Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, as Peter would learn, you can face death with confidence. And being able to face death with confidence enables you to live now - not in fear, but in faith. Not worrying about your kingdom, but looking foward to His. And knowing that the crosses you bear are giving you life - killing your old man to enliven the new man, the child of God, that you are. For your Father wants you to live - and not just here and now - but with Him forever. 

That is the mind of God, and the words of Jesus. To which we - and Peter, eventually - give a hearty yes! Yes, Lord, Your will be done. I live and die in you.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pentecost 12 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“For the Life of the World”

Text: Matthew 16:13-20 (Romans 11:33-12:8)

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

What’s in a name?

Well, apparently, a lot these days. If you have the wrong name. School districts, counties, and states are willing to spend millions of dollars to change the names of schools, buildings, roads, and holidays which bear a name now deemed unworthy of such an honor. Those names were good, apparently, at one point. But no longer. And so they must go. Along with statues and anything else associated with them.

Perhaps some of that is good. Perhaps some is overdone. You could argue whether the expenditure of such money is good stewardship, or if that money could be better spent elsewhere and in other ways. But it does point out the reality that your good name today may not be a good name tomorrow. 

Which is a good warning for those who are trying to make a name for themselves in this world and life. A name that might make them famous now and then live on after they die. To be their legacy. Well, be careful. Your memory may not be what you think. Sometimes the bad is forgotten and the good lives on. But sometimes, too, it is the other way around.

Who do you say that I am?

Jesus asks that question today. But His concern is different than what’s going on today. For it is not for Himself that Jesus is concerned that His name live on, but for you. For there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). So this confession is not just so that Jesus’ name will live on after He dies, but so that YOU will live after YOU die. So there’s a lot riding on His name.

And Simon replies on behalf of all: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

Now, three weeks ago, we heard the story of when Jesus fed over 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. A pretty great miracle. Two weeks ago, we heard of Jesus and Simon walking on the water, on the Sea of Galilee. Again, pretty great stuff. And last week, Jesus answered the prayer of a Canaanite mother and freed her daughter from demon oppression. Powerful stuff. But this today, these words of Simon today, are a greater miracle than those. For here is not a weak heart made strong, or an empty heart filled, or a struggling heart strengthened, but a stoney, hard-as-granite heart, a heart born rebellious and against God, turned into a confessing and believing heart. A miracle that happens here, too. In you. 

And this is a greater miracle also because its result is greater. Jesus showers blessings and miracles on all in this world and life - He continues to feed, and care, and protect, and give life. But this miracle of confessing Jesus is not just for this life, for a while, but for a life that will not end. A life that will last forever. 

So Simon’s confession here isn’t something he came up with on his own, after weighing the evidence, after careful study and reasoning - it was a miracle; the work of God in him. Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! Jesus says. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, - especially his own flesh and blood! - but my Father who is in heaven. Perhaps Jesus is referring to the voice of the Father that spoke from heaven at Jesus’ baptism: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Or maybe the Father working through His Word and Spirit in Simon’s heart. But however it was given, this confession was given to Simon, as it was given to you. 

And everything rests on this confession; on Jesus’ name. How surprised Simon must have been at Jesus’ next words - not the ones commending him (for he really didn’t do anything!), but expressing how powerful this name of Jesus is! That on this confession (not on miracles!) will the church be built, and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. So what’s in a name? A lot! When it’s Jesus’ name!

Which is why it is so concerning when the name of Jesus is taken away today, or stripped of its power. When it is said that Jesus is not the only name that saves. When churches that used to be named after our Lord or those who confessed Him are now given trendy names instead, like The Journey. Or when His name is more often used in shock and pain than in confession. I often point this out to my catechumens - that you never hear the names of other gods used this way. No one ever hits their thumb with a hammer and then cries out “Oh Buddha!” or “Oh Allah!” Only Jesus Christ. Why is that? It’s the only name satan cares about. The only name that saves. And so the only name he wants to rob of it’s special character and power.

A similar problem is when the name of Jesus is kept, but His Son of God-ness is taken away. Like in these iconoclastic days, when you can have Jesus as long as He is the right kind of Jesus - as long as He is depicted as the right color, or nationality, or He teaches what I want Him to teach, or agrees with my way of thinking, or isn’t too exclusive. And this is not just a problem for “them, out there,” you know, the unbelievers. How easy it is for us, too, to ignore those parts of Scripture we don’t like. To hold onto our sins, to continue in them and not confess them and stop them. To make Jesus into how WE want Him to be. Satan is the master of a million tricks and will use them all on you. Count on it.

So that you’re here today, confessing with Simon today, really is a miracle. Not something that you can take credit for, but the work of God in you, too. Jesus building His Church.

Which He does through the Office of the Keys. That’s what Jesus said to Simon, playing with Simon’s new name, Peter. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And then Jesus tells him how: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

So Simon the Peter, along with the others who confess Jesus the Christ, will, by this petering, by this confessing, bind and loose. And just as their petering, the confessing of the apostles, was not something they did, but a miracle, the work of God in them, so too will be the petering, the confessing, of others be not because of them, but the work of God through His Word which the apostles will speak. As they speak the Law of God, binding and uncovering and exposing sin and unbelief. And as they speak the Gospel, as they speak Jesus, loosing and forgiving that sin. The disease is diagnosed, the medicine is applied, and peters, confessors, are created.

Which is what happened to you. To you the Christ was petered, confessed, and now from you the Christ is petered, confessed. Or maybe we could say re-peted! You speak what was spoken to you. Give what has been given to you. And as Jesus has been spoken to you, poured out on you, and fed to you, He has worked in your heart, that you believe and confess His name. And with that name, not even the gates of hell hold any fear for you. For with that name, your name is written in the book of life.

Now at the end of the reading today, Jesus tells the twelve not to tell anyone that He is the Christ. Not yet, anyway. They haven’t yet been sent to do so. And Jesus is still on His way to the cross. For it is there that He needs to be seen as the Christ - not in His miracles. Not in the Feeding of the 5,000, not in walking on the water, not in expelling demons, nor in any other miracle - but on the cross. Miracles are great, but they cannot save. Only the one on the cross can do that. Only the one who dies and rises can do that. Only the one who says “Father, forgive them” can do that. And so Jesus will. He will be the Christ, there. And we are peters when we see and confess Him there. And then we have a name that will live forever, for we have His name, given to us.

And that name we then peter, confess, not only with our lips, but with our lives. Living sacrifices, is how Paul put it. Not just speaking, but living, our confession. Living in forgiveness by forgiving others. Living as if we really believe that death cannot end our life. Living in the confidence that the gates of hell hold no power over us. Living in the knowledge that the name we bear is greater than anything this world can give us. And living in the freedom that all that brings. That come what may, while you and your name may be nothing in the eyes of the world, you are precious in the sight of God. 

And that’s all in the name you bear and confess.

So what’s in a name? Well, everything! When that name is Jesus. 

So as you petered Him in the Creed, and as you peter Him in your lives, so now peter Him as you come to His table. For as the apostle Paul told us, as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). His death for you. His death for the world. That His Name live on for the life of the world.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pentecost 11 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“Lord! Save! (And He Does!) - Part 2”

Text: Matthew 15:21-28

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lord, save! That was the cry of Peter last week. And that is really the cry of the Canaanite woman we hear about this week as well, though she does not use those exact words. But that’s what she’s asking. Lord, save! My daughter. Who is severely oppressed by a demon.

Two weeks, two cries, the same cry, really. But a difference, too. Last week, the one who cried out had a little faith where we could have expected a great faith. And this week, the one who cries out has a great faith where we could have expected a little faith. How often things get topsy-turvy when Jesus is around. He hangs out with sinners, not religious leaders. He praises those who repent, not those who think they’re good. And it is a disciple - and one of His inner circle! - who has a little faith, while a Canaanite woman has great faith. 

If you ever think you have Jesus all figured out . . . better think again.

So, I was thinking . . . what if this woman and her daughter had been in the boat with the disciples last week? Last week, Peter jumped out. This week, it’s more like the daughter had gotten thrown out of the boat, or was pushed by the unseen hand, the unseen spirit, that was oppressing her. In either case, her mother cries out as Peter did: Lord, save! My daughter is sinking!

The first response is, well, no response. Nothing. Nada. Jesus may not have even looked at her. 

That’s frustrating, right? Not to be heard. It’s the cause of so much unrest in our country today. People feel they are not being heard. And so they are rising up in anger. Making their voice be heard in rioting and rebellion. We won’t be ignored. And this woman could have done the same. Hey! Don’t ignore me! You a chauvinist or something? I have a right to be heard! 

Uh, no. No you don’t. Not before God. In a country with a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, maybe so. But before God we have no such right. We forfeited that when we decided sin was the way we wanted to live. That without God and His Word was the way we wanted to live. A choice you and I continue to make today when we sin. So if God hears you, it’s not because you have a right to be heard. It’s because of His grace and mercy.

Which this woman knows. In that culture, at that time, as a woman and a Gentile among Jews, she was probably used to being ignored. So she’s not offended or indignant. But she also doesn’t give up . . .

Lord, save! My daughter is sinking!

She gets a response this time. But not from Jesus - from His disciples. Lord, send her away, for she is crying out after us. That always sounded to me like the disciples just wanted to be rid of her. But Luther didn’t interpret it that way, and Jesus’ answer doesn’t make sense if that is the case. For in response to the disciples, Jesus says: I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Like, I would help, but . . . 

So Luther interpreted this as the disciples interceding for her. For often times, when Jesus would send someone away, it was because He granted their request. So here, it would seem, are the disciples trying to help. For Jesus said, after all, ask, and it will be given to you. And, wherever two or three are gathered in my name . . . 

Ah yes, those promises are true enough, Jesus seems to be saying. But only for Israel, not for her. 

But still she doesn’t give up. She is like a child. For children are persistent. They keep asking until they get what they want. Please? No. Please? No. Please? No. Please? No. Please? And what parent hasn’t heard why? why? why? why? why? It’s when children begin to get older, and when we become adults, that we change. We figure out ways to manipulate, to get around, to undermine, to bargain, to rationalize, to argue. And we do that with God sometimes, don’t we? But this woman’s like a child. She doesn’t do any of that. She just cries out again: Lord, save! My daughter is sinking!

And isn’t that what Jesus tells us to do? To be like little children . . .

But then, Jesus says, It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. That is an offensive remark for many. How could Jesus say such a thing! But again, the Canaanite woman is not offended. In fact, she agrees. She could have objected, stomped her foot in outrage, and said: Hey! Canaanite lives matter! But she doesn’t. Instead she says yes. And, if I may say, happily so! For yes, she’ll be a dog - she’ll be a dog if she can be HIS dog. She did not belong to Israel. Yes, True. Indeed. You are right, she says. I’ll be a dog. Your dog. So I can have the crumbs. Because a crumb from Jesus is worth more than all the feasting of the world. Whatever she gets will be completely undeserved. All grace. And she’ll gladly take that.

For that’s the way of it with faith. 

Faith doesn’t make demands of God. When we do, that’s not faith talking, but something else in us . . .

Faith doesn’t think it has rights. When we think we do, that God owes us something, that’s not faith talking . . .

Faith doesn’t get indignant or offended with God, as if He were somehow belittling us. If we think He is, that we’re not getting the recognition or the rewards we deserve, that’s not faith talking . . .

That is the way and the language and the thinking of the world. We have rights. We have dignity. We deserve certain things and certain treatment. And we hear that so much, we’re so bombarded with that message . . . and maybe that’s true when it comes to the world. But not with God. To think that way with God is to think that life is something that is ours, that we have, in and of ourselves, and then we add can God to it . . . if we want; if and when we think He can somehow add to it and make it better. But if He gets in the way, or doesn’t do according to what we think . . . well, then God’s in the wrong.

But that’s topsy-turvy thinking. There isn’t your life and then God. There isn’t your life and then you can invite God into it . . . or not. There isn’t a life that belongs to you apart from God. There’s God and then your life. He’s the reality. He’s the source. He’s the sustainer. For those who realize it and acknowledge it, and for those who do not. All that you are, all that you have, all that you can hope for, is from Him.

So it takes a Canaanite woman, this very unlikely place of great faith, to be our teacher. To teach us of faith and the language of faith. That faith isn’t proud, but humble. That faith doesn’t make demands, that faith doesn’t insist on its rights, that faith doesn’t accuse God - faith simply says: yes, Lord.

Yes, Lord, I am a dog. Yes, Lord, I am a sinner. Yes, Lord, I deserve nothing.

But faith doesn’t stop there. Not a child-like faith. Faith keeps going. Not demanding on the basis of who we are, but asking and insisting on the basis of who God is, and what He has told us in His Word.

That yes, Lord, I am a dog, a sinner, and deserve nothing. But yes, Lord, You came for people like me. You came to have mercy. You came to save. Because of who You are. Because You are love. Because You give. Because You desire all to live in You. So I’m askin’! Just for the crumbs, which I don’t even deserve. But a crumb from you is worth more than everything in the world, all the recognition of the world, all the riches in the world. Just a crumb of mercy . . . Lord, save!

And then it is Jesus’ turn to say yes. And to give much more than crumbs. Because Jesus gives Himself. All of Himself, for you. For when you come to the altar to receive His Body and Blood, what is this but a crumb compared to the food we feast on each and every day? And yet here is food that is worth more than all that. Far more. For receiving a crumb, you receive all of Jesus, the Bread of Life. Here you receive His life, His death, His cross, His forgiveness, His resurrection, His salvation, His kingdom, His Sonship. All that He is and has done for you is here for you . . . in these crumbs that are far more than crumbs.

Now, are you worthy to receive such a gift? No. And yes. No, if you base your worth in you - who you are and what you have done. But yes if you come as an undeserving sinner-dog who says Lord, have mercy. Lord, save! For then great is your faith, that says yes to our Lord and His Word and His promises.

Sometimes, though, our problem isn’t what God gives or how God gives but when God gives. Last week, with Peter, Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed Peter after the first peep out of his mouth. But today, Jesus doesn’t. He waits. He treats Peter and this woman differently. Why? Jesus’ chauvinism rearing its ugly head, again? No. But because they are different. Jesus doesn’t deal with everyone the same. We sometimes think He should, that what He does for one He should do for all; that He should be equal and fair. But once again, that’s not faith talking . . .

Because love doesn’t treat everyone the same. Love regards each person and their needs uniquely. Parents love all their children the same but do not treat them the same. Because they’re different. They have different needs, respond in different ways. And parents know that. Children think that’s not fair, just as we sometimes think God’s not being fair. But parents know - God knows - that’s love. 

And faith responds: yes, Lord. Faith that is confident in Jesus and His love. His love shown by His coming for us. His love shown by His dying for us.

And then such faith, receiving from Jesus, enlivened by Jesus, fed by Jesus, confident in Jesus, does the same for others. What we have passively received we actively give. Love, mercy, forgiveness. To the dogs and those who treat us as dogs. To the sinners and those who sin against us. To the undeserving - not just those who can repay us. For that is the way of it with Jesus, who lives in you and you in Him. 

O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.

This woman wasn’t great, she was nothing. We know nothing about her before this; we know nothing about her after this. But we know this: her Jesus is great. And that’s what makes faith great - not it’s strength, but the strength of the one it’s in. When you are weak, He is strong. And when He is strong, your faith is great. And it will be done for you as you desire. Not what your old, sinful, worldly, greedy, selfish heart desires, but what your new, clean, baptized heart desires: Jesus. And He will be given to you: His life. And hope. And confidence. Which is a right-side-up life, in a topsy-turvy world. 

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pentecost 10 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“Lord! Save! (And He Does!)”

Text: Matthew 14:22-33

(Job 38:4-18; Romans 10:5-17)

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lord, save me!

That is the cry of faith. Little faith, big faith, all faith. Faith that looks to the Lord for all that is needed. In good times, bad times, all times. 

And it is exactly what the Lord has come to do. These are exactly the right words to exactly the right man. The God man. The God in the flesh man. 

If your faith isn’t crying that out, the Lord will seek to make it so. First, by coming to you. And second, giving you a reason to cry out to Him. That your faith be in the right place. In Him, and no where and no one, else.

Is that mean? To afflict you that you will cry out to Him? No. It is saving. And so it is most loving. Though it may not seem so at the time. Though it surely didn’t seem so to Peter, who was deeply afraid, terrified, as he was sinking like a stone. But the fear is not from God. The fear is from us and our sin which distrusts God. The situation may be from God, but not to cause fear, but faith. That He might work good. That we rely on Him. That we trust in Him. 

Did the disciples need this? Apparently so. Just before this, Jesus fed the 5,000 with only five loaves of bread and two fish. When He asked, the disciples hadn’t turned to Him in faith - they said to send the crowds away because we don’t have enough. Jesus didn’t have enough. Really?

So now a faith building exercise. Orchestrated by Jesus. He purposefully sends the disciples out by themselves while He stays behind. It was tough going, but they were doing alright. They had made significant progress. They were a long way from land, Matthew tells us. They probably would have made it to the other side. But Jesus doesn’t wait for them to do so, He causes trouble for them - He walks out to them on the water. It wasn’t just because He missed the boat! He frightens His disciples - so they will call to Him in faith. Lord, save!

Is that mean? To afflict them so? No. It is to teach. To strengthen. To expose their weakness and demonstrate His strength.

Perhaps all this Covid stuff has done the same for us. Exposed our weakness. We who thought we were so strong. We who can put a man on the moon. We can solve any problem. And then a tiny little germ comes along and proves us weak. Throws the world into a tizzy. Shuts down the economy. We were doing fine. Making headway against all the storms of this world and life. And then we weren’t. And did we cry out Lord, save?! Or did we cry out, why God? If it’s you, God, why did this happen? Maybe both.

Truth is, you think you are able, strong, wise. You prove it by how you live your life and how you try to accomplish so much apart from God. Even in the church. By how often you rely on your own wisdom and strength, rather than in prayer and the Word. When you think God really should be doing this or that, solving this problem or that, giving us this or that, instead of what He is doing. 

Until your weakness is exposed. Until the Lord disrupts things. The disciples may have been able to get to the other side of the lake, but Jesus wants more for them than just that. And for you. 

So Jesus frightens His disciples. Walks to them on the water. That He may speak His Word to them. When they saw Him, they were troubled. He says, Take heart. They thought it was a ghost. He says: It is I, not a ghost. They were frightened. He says, stop being afraid. He does nothing but speak. But that is enough. 

Or it should be. 

But apparently not for Peter. Lord, IF it is you . . . Someone else had spoken similar words before, to challenge Jesus. In the wilderness. IF you are the Son of God (Matthew 4) . . . show it! Command these stones to become bread. Throw yourself off the Temple. Jesus refused satan. But He does not refuse His child. For He was there to defeat satan, but to save His child Peter. So He speaks again. Another word: COME! One word only. But that is enough. For it is a word that is at the same time both command AND promise. Promise that Peter would be able to do so. Or maybe better, that He could enable Peter to do so.

And God’s Word does what it says. For God’s Word always does what it says. Until it doesn’t . . . ?

For Peter begins to sink. All is lost, right?

No. It is for Peter to no longer say, Lord, IF it is you, but Lord, save! You are the one who commanded me! You are the one who gave me your Word! Lord! Save!

If he hadn’t sunk, what would have been the result of his stroll upon the water? Would Peter have been puffed up in himself? Proud of himself? Maybe. We’ll never know. But we know how it is with us. How easily we tend to pride in ourselves and what we are able to do. Think ourselves strong and able. We need our weakness exposed. 

It doesn’t say exactly what brought Peter to his realization of the storm, what caused this change in him, but if Jesus orchestrated this whole thing, sending His disciples out alone, walking to them on the water, then its not a stretch to think that this was part of it, too. In a previous incident, Jesus calmed the wind and waves with just His Word. Maybe He whipped them up a bit here; caused a little extra wind and waves for Peter’s sake - for they’re nothing to Jesus. Remember, Peter?

Well, no. He doesn’t. He is sinking! Like a rock. How appropriate. That’s what his name means, after all! The name Jesus gave him! Now, he has only one thing on his mind . . . 

Lord, save me!

Is that mean? To afflict Peter so? No. Luther liked to preach that this is God acting as a true father. Like a father holding his child in his arms and then suddenly letting go. The child cries out: Dad! And the father immediately grabs her; doesn’t let her fall. He wouldn’t do that. It’s like a game, Luther says, to strengthen her in the little things, that her faith be strengthened for the big things.

So Peter begins to sink. Lord! Save! And immediately, Matthew tells us, immediately, He does. Jesus grabs Peter. Doesn’t let him sink. He wouldn’t do that. It is but a light, momentary affliction, that our faith be in the right place - in Him, not in ourselves. And that our faith be strengthened. That we know, as Paul said to us today, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

And it wasn’t just Peter. Think through the Scriptures, how often God does this. What about Abraham? Sacrifice your son, your only son, Isaac! Was God letting him and His promise go? No. He wouldn’t do that. God grabs Him. What about Joseph in Egypt? Had God let him sink, let him die in prison? No. God grabs him. What about the three young men in the fiery furnace? Them, too, God grabs. Reaches out His hand to save.

But then, later, Peter would see something different . . . that saving hand weak, unable to grab him . . . for it had a nail through it. And was attached to a cross. That hand that had marvelously and miraculously multiplied the loaves and fish to feed so many. That hand that had created all things (as we heard in the reading from Job). That hand that touched and healed lepers, that touched and blessed so many, young and old . . . now limp and lifeless and dead. Peter begins to sink again. All is lost, right?

No! Peter will see that hand again reach out to him, to grab him again, to save him. That hand - no longer limp, lifeless, and dead - will stretch itself out and allow his astonished fingers to be put into it. Because that hand has come to save, and save it will. Save us from our doubts, our fears, our sins, our death. For it is the hand of the one who sits at the Father’s right hand, is His right-hand man, and ascended back to that same place. Not to be gone, but to powerfully continue to reach out to us. Saving. Pulling us out of our cesspools of doubt and death. When by His Word our weakness is exposed. When by His Word He enables us to cry out, Lord! Save!

Which we are again about to do! Did you realize that? You do so here every Sunday in fact. When you confess your sins, you are really crying out Lord save! And He speaks, as He did to those disciples: Take heart, it is I, stop being afraid of your sins. I forgive them. All of them. They can condemn you no more. And with that we are reminded, too, of our Baptism, when our Lord’s hand reached out to us and grabbed us, saved us, through water and His Word.

And when we sing Lord have mercy, we are really crying out Lord save! Have mercy on us, for if you didn’t, we would be lost. And He does. For again, He speaks to us His Word, His Gospel, grabbing us with His promises to provide all that we need.

But most of all, we do so when we sing Hosanna! The Hebrew word for Lord save! And as He did with Peter, Jesus stretches out His hand. And He grabs you with His Words . . . Take eat, this is My body. Take drink, this is My blood, for you. For you, my child. For your life. To strengthen you. To save. 

And faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Faith that says Amen! Which is the great Word of faith and worship. Amen. Truth. Your Word is truth. And the disciples - little faith, big faith, faith in the right place faith - worshiped Him - the God man, the God in the flesh man, the Son of God made man - right there in the boat. And so do we. Here, in this boat, the Church.

So all the trials you’re going through in your life, your weakness exposed, what the Lord sends in love that you cry out Lord! Save! . . . all are strengthening you for the biggest trial of all, when you’re sinking into death. And the devil, the world, and your sinful nature will deceive you and mislead you, as they always do. But the Word of the Lord will not. So you will cry out Lord! Save! and He will. He promised. He’s not going to let you go. It’s why He came. And then you will worship Him - like the disciples, with the disciples! - and with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. 

For, you see, the Lord doesn’t just want you to get to the other end of this life. Many do that. Get through this life. And rather successfully. But Jesus wants more for you than just that. He wants you. Forever. And so He comes. For you. 

So now, in this world and life, with its troubles and trials and struggles, with His Word, with such assurance, with such great and precious promises, with such a Saviour for you, maybe you can jump out in faith - not to walk on water, but for what He has called you to do: to love one another, as He has loved you (John 13:34). And if . . . when! . . . you begin to fail, you begin to sink, you know what to say. And He knows what to do.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.