Saint Michael and All Angels Sermon

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Confirmation of Caleb and Eli Malekzadeh

Jesu Juva

“Our Hope and Blessing in Woe”

Text: Luke 10:17-20; Revelation 12:7-12

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

Angels. Ever since the last Old Testament prophet, Malachi, set down his pen, there has been much fascination and speculation about them. Obsession, even. What are their names, how many are there, what can they do, what do they look like, and more. We do not have time for such conjecture. We know what we need to know; what our Lord has told us in Holy Scripture. And that is enough.

And what the Lord has told us, what we heard this morning, is that there are two kinds of angels: the good and the evil, the godly and the ungodly; those who heed the Word of God, and those who want nothing to do with it. All originally created good, but some now fallen. And they fought. There was war in heaven. But this was not a war like we think of war - the outcome was never in doubt. This was not a battle like those of earth, of two equal and opposite armies - this was usurpers, invaders, prideful fools thinking they could take what had not been given them. Of course, they could not. Michael and his angels cast them out of heaven and threw them down to the earth. As fast as a bolt of lightning, and as violent as one too. No soft landing for these rebels, but a crashing down to earth.

So woe to you, O earth and sea, John said. Woe to you, O men, women, and children, he means, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath. Yes, but it is actually much more serious than that. For if the devil has just come to down to earth, somewhere, then maybe he is there, not here. Maybe in the East, not the West. But no. He has come down into your homes - your bedrooms, kitchens, and living rooms. Into your churches, meeting rooms, class rooms, and fellowship halls. And into all those of your neighbors and friends. Where you work, where you play, and where you log onto the internet. You are not safe, they are not safe, from the wrath and woe of the evil one and his allies. 

So yes, woe to us, indeed. 

And yet we do not live lives of woe! Nor of fear and trembling. Because another one has come down to earth from the heavenly places. Not crashing down in defeat, but descending of His own will. This one announced by angels and welcomed by them at His birth in Bethlehem. Another victim, the devil hoped - and a juicy one at that! - because his pride has no end. He blinds himself with his own darkness. Even tossed out of heaven he thinks the outcome here might be different. Home field advantage and all. But that, too, is a lie. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the psalmist says (Psalm 24:1) - it does not belong to the evil one.

So our Lord comes. Into this place of woe. The battle in heaven finished, He brings the battle to earth. And again, the outcome is never in doubt. Whether in the wilderness, among the crowds, in the synagogue, in a home, or on the cross, Jesus, the Word made flesh, wins each and every battle. Even when He bows His head in death - this was no victory for the devil, but the fulfillment of the Word of God. And the resurrection the final nail in the satanic coffin. 

And so the devil and his minions have not only been cast out of heaven, they have been cast out of your hearts. For there, too, Jesus has come, and made that place His own. Luther’s baptismal liturgy says it so wonderfully - twice! Depart, unclean spirit, and make way for the Holy Spirit. And, I adjure you, O unclean spirit, to depart from this servant of Christ, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit! And he must obey. Actually he wants to obey! For where Christ is, there the devil does not want to be. So by baptism, joined to the death and resurrection of Christ, you join in His victory over the evil one.

But as John told us today, though the devil’s time is short, it’s not over. He’s looking into the abyss with fear and trembling, but he’s not there yet. There’s still time. But what can he do to you, O Christian? You who have been redeemed and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb? You who belong to Christ, not to him?

Well, still he knocks. You are probably familiar with the famous picture of Jesus knocking at the door, and the admonition for you to let Him in. But truth be told, he’s not the only one knocking. Just open my coffin a crack, another one says. Let me come out and play. Have a little fun. It’s just a little white lie. It’s not hurting anyone. Everyone is doing it. That’s old fashioned. We know so much more - and better - now. Did God really say . . . ? C’mon, live a little! Didn’t God say He’d send His angels to protect you? It’s okay. You don’t have to go to church every week. A little anger will help you get your way. A little greed never hurt anyone. It’s okay to look. Nothing’s going to happen . . .

And how often we do it. And the one whose name is Legion (Mark 5:9) rushes out of that Pandora’s Box of death, and a Trojan Horse of demons is let loose in your life. Woe to you, indeed.

So repent. For while Pandora couldn’t get the evils back in the box - and you certainly can’t! - St. John tells us today that the blood of the Lamb and the Word of His testimony can. The seventy-two rejoiced over this, and so do you. When you hear the Lord proclaim to you, I forgive you all your sins, and when you hear the Lord give you His Body and Blood, the evil one is cast down, and cast out, again. For with those words the ancient serpent and his scorpions and all his power are being tread on again. For sin and death are his power, but they have been conquered by the one who forgives and feeds and raises the dead.

But there is something even greater than that, Jesus says. Don’t rejoice in this, in power; but in this: that your names are written in heaven, and Jesus’ Name enscribed on you. Enscribed when His Name and forgiveness and life and victory are poured on your heads in baptism, poured into your mouths in His Supper, and poured into your ears through His Word. And not just once, but whenever you heed that satanic knocking, whenever you give into temptation or despair, whenever you do not live in the victory given to you. Still Jesus comes to forgive. Still Jesus comes to give you life. Still Jesus comes for you. Not to cast you down, but to life you up.

 

Now, whenever the topic of angels comes up, people usually like to talk about and think about guardian angels and how they’re protecting us. And they certainly do. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways, the psalmist said (Psalm 91:11). But it is not their fellow angels that the devil and his demons fear, but Christ and His Word. The good angels may thwart their efforts, but only Christ is their end. So today, while we give thanks to God for His angels, we do not do so apart from Christ and His Word, leaving the Scriptures sheathed on our bookshelves, or ourselves absent from where they are proclaimed. Assuming the angels are enough for us. That would be most foolish, no? Instead, we will hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Holy Scriptures . . . that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. That we embrace and ever hold fast to Him who embraced and holds fast to us, even Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Conquerer.

Which is really what you’re about to witness again in a moment, in the Rite of Confirmation. Confirmation is about confessing the one who embraced us in Holy Baptism. That’s what Caleb and Eli have learned these past few years as the Scriptures have been unsheathed and they read, marked, learned, and inwardly digested them. Yes, they learned the Small Catechism and memorized it. Yes, they learned a lot of Scripture and doctrine, Yes, they learned a lot about the liturgy and the Divine Service. But what they learned as they learned all that is Jesus and all that He has done for them, and is still doing for them. That Jesus is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. That it’s not about what we do, but about what He has done for us.

So they’ve learned the Commandments, and they learned how they answer satan’s knocking and let him into their hearts and lives with their sin. They’ve learned of the idols in their lives, and how their best efforts aren’t good enough. 

But they didn’t despair, for they learned of their Saviour. They learned the Creed, of a good and gracious Father who sent His Son to redeem them, of the Son who laid down His life for them, and who sent the Spirit to work in their hearts and take them to the Son, who takes them to the Father. So there is forgiveness for them, and life, and sonship.

Sons who pray, who speak to their Father in heaven. Who do not want to remain and live in their sin, but pray for help. That when satan knocks they not answer, but hallow God’s name, live in His kingdom and will, be delivered from evil, and forgiven every sin.

A deliverance that began when they were baptized, when that unclean spirit was thrown out of their hearts by water and the Word, and they began to live a new life. And they learned to return to that baptism every day in repentance, that the ancient snake which is always trying to slither in and make his home in their hearts again be cast out again and again and again. 

And they learned how precious it is that they are able to return here every week, and not to take this for granted - that the one who created them, lived for them, died for them, and forgives them, is here for them to feed them with His Body and Blood. For the devil is always knocking, inviting them, tempting them, to put something ahead of this, before this, as more important or desirable than this - but it’s all a lie. For only Jesus can give them the life they want. Only Jesus can give them a life that will be eternal. And that any life they could get or achieve for themselves apart from Him, is not a life worth living. And in the end would not be life at all, but death.

Now they’re going to stand before you and their Lord and say YES! to all this. Yes, I believe this. Yes, this is the truth. Yes, I intend to live in this truth and hold to Him who holds fast to them. Not that they’re going to do it perfectly, but they are confessing that Jesus really is the way, the truth, and the life. Their way, their truth, and their life. And they will eat and drink His Body and Blood, the first of what I hope and pray will be their refreshment and forgiveness here each and every week.

And as they do, as we do, it is with the cherubim and seraphim, the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven - those angels still in the heavenly places whose praise we join, singing: Holy, holy holy Lord God of Power and might; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory! Hosanna in the highest! And note that: Heaven and earth. For as we also sing, blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. The Lord who isn’t far off, but continues to come to us here, in our need. The Lord who continues to come to fight for us. The Lord who continues to bless. And blessed are we to whom He comes, even in a world filled with woe. For blessed are we not because our life is easy and our desires fulfilled, but blessed are we who are washed, who are cleansed, who are sanctified, who are fed by Him. Blessed are we, even in the midst of the battle. For as in heaven, so on earth, the outcome is not in doubt. The victory has been won. 

So today we give thanks for the angels, but even more for the one they serve - who came and served us. And we give thanks as we witness His work in the hearts and lives of Caleb and Eli. For this is His work today, not theirs. As it always is. His Name written by Him in their hearts, and their names written by Him in heaven.

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

Pentecost 16 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“The Joy of Giving Life”

Text: Matthew 20:1-16

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

Many people these days live paycheck to paycheck. They depend on getting that check at the end of the week to pay their bills and buy what they need. They have little savings, if any, to fall back on. So their income is not just a matter of having money or not - it is about having what they need to live. 

That was the situation even more of many folks in biblical times. There was no middle class as we know it today. There were the haves and the have nots. The rich and the poor. And the distance between them was considerable.

It is with that in mind that we need to hear the parable that Jesus tells today. Workers are being hired at all hours of the day - some at the beginning of the work day, but some just an hour before quitting time. Not much they could do. Seems like a waste of time. But no work that day, no pay. And no pay, no food for the table that night. Or, at least, less food. Maybe just enough to stop the growls and hunger pangs so you can get to sleep. Labor was precious. Labor wasn’t just a job, it was life. For these men and their families.

So when it comes time to pay these workers, and each receives a full days wage, it means food on the table. For husband, wife, children, and maybe even extended family. It means life. Life for all. And that, Jesus says, is what the kingdom of heaven is all about. Life. Life for all. Which is, and always is, a gift.

For that is why Jesus came - to give life. Life isn’t just something that happens. It is, and always is, a gift.

But Jesus has come to give even more than that. He wants for you not just a little life, but abundant life (John 10:10). He is lavish with His forgiveness, that we live lives free from the burden of guilt and shame. He is generous with His Spirit, that we live lives not of isolation, but joined to Christ and to one another. He is bountiful with His love, that we live lives confident and secure in His love, and not in doubt or questioning if we are worthy or not. And all this for all people. Life-long Christians and new Christians the same. Those baptized as infants or just moments before death. Jesus wants to give life. Always. Fully. Generously. Abundantly.

But such generosity, such grace, is not always appreciated. Those hired first wanted more; thought they deserved more. And when they didn’t get it, they grumbled. Which is more than just complaining - it is grumbling against the owner of the vineyard. It is discontent and accusing this kind and generous owner of being NOT good. More for others meant less for them, they thought. So they were being wronged. And a day that started with joy ended with anger and bitterness for them. Because it became about the money. 

But for the owner, it wasn’t about the money. If it was, he wouldn’t have done what he did. Paying people for work that wasn’t done is a quick way to go out of business! But he didn’t see it that way. He was providing life. Using what he had, using his business, to help others. Which is never wrong . . . is it?

Well, apparently, it was . . . for those who were all about the money. For those for whom life isn’t a gift but a competition. Or for those who think that more money, more blessings, more stuff, means more life. But if that’s where you find your life or are looking for your life - in what you have, in the things of this world - then you are looking in the wrong place. Then the things of this world have become your idols.

It’s an easy trap to fall into, as fallen people in a fallen world. If only I had that I would be happier. If only I had more my life would be better. If only I could get what I wanted . . . But there’s no way off that treadmill. There’s always more. And life becomes an endless chasing, an endless desiring, an endless grumbling. And while you’re striving for more stuff, you’re actually getting less life. Because your idols are stealing your life, not giving you life.

So better is to think differently. Like the owner of the vineyard, who is, of course, our Lord. Who is generous to a fault, some people would say. Foolish with how He gives His gifts. Unless He’s not just giving gifts, but giving life. And by giving life, giving joy, both to others and to Himself. For picture the owner of the vineyard standing behind his foreman as he paid those who arrived late in the day - what joy and satisfaction he would receive in seeing their joy at receiving much more than they thought they would. But then, too, how sad at the grumbling of those he hired first. Acting like spoiled children. Why was it wrong to be generous?

Perhaps we should ask ourselves that same question . . . when we begrudge others receiving more than us . . . when we are stingy with our own giving or our giving of forgiveness . . . when we think of life in terms of what we have and what we get rather than as the gift of God it is. That it always is. So better to find our joy not in the gifts, but in the Giver of those gifts. And then we will perhaps rejoice in His generosity, too. 

Because rejoicing in the Giver means rejoicing in the one who gives not just stuff, but who gave His very life for you. The one who was first who became last, so that you who are last might be first. You can work all day and all your life and never deserve that. The cross of Christ is the gift of God to give you life. Life now and life forever. 

And as this Narrative Divine Service has been explaining, that is the gift that is here for you - whether you’ve been a Christian all your life, or just the last hour. Every man, woman, and child receives the same forgiveness, the same Spirit, the same Body and Blood, the same promises. And when you come and receive those gifts, your Father in heaven is not just well-pleased, but positively joyful. For like the owner of the vineyard, there is nothing that gives Him greater joy than when you receive His gifts with joy. And rejoice in others receiving them too. 

And if you think there’s someone who doesn’t deserve that forgiveness, that gift . . . that’s not your call. Don’t grumble against the generosity of the Father and begrudge Him of His joy. 

Far better is to rejoice in the generosity of your God. For He is generous to you, too. He didn’t have to call YOU into His vineyard, but He did. To give you life. And that life He has for others, too. A gift - for life is, and always is, a gift that He loves to give. 

So while I do not know what hour of that day it is - that is, how close to when our Lord will return - it is not yet the end of the day. So still He is calling, still bringing folks into His vineyard, to give them life. To be generous with them. To give them joy. And as I stand here and proclaim that forgiveness, speak His promises, and place the Body and Blood of Jesus into your mouths, imagine your Father standing behind me with the biggest smile you can imagine on His face! Because nothing gives Him more joy than when sinners come here and receive His gift of forgiveness and life. Nothing. That’s what the kingdom of heaven is like.

So I don’t know if you’re one of those people who live paycheck to paycheck, but as Christians, that kind of how we are. We live week to week, and come here each week - not to receive what we’ve earned, what we’ve deserved - but exactly what we don’t; what we haven’t worked for, but what Jesus has provided for us, and now gives to us. His gifts. His gifts that we need to make it through another week of falling short in sin, of being sinned against, of receiving bad news, of struggle, of sickness and pain, of hard feelings and hurt feelings, of grumbling and discontent. And we come here. Maybe you didn’t even really want to. Maybe it was tough, your burdens weighing you down. One more tough slog at the end of a week of slogging through the muck of life. 

But you did, because you need this. You need the gifts. You need the life. You need to hear that your sins and failures are forgiven, and receive the Body and Blood of your Saviour. And that’s exactly what your kind and generous Father gives you here. And it brings Him such joy. He is not disappointed with you. He is glad that you’re here, and glad to give you what you don’t deserve. Because everything from Him is, and always is, a gift. That you may have life, and have it abundantly.

And that, my friends, is not the way the world works. But it is, as Jesus said, what the kingdom of heaven is like. Thanks be to God!

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

Graveside Homily for Connie Smith

 Jesu Juva

“Praise the Lord!”

Text: Psalm 150; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Matthew 28:1-10

The 150th Psalm might seem like an odd psalm to choose at such a time as this, in such a place as this. Cemeteries are more places of sadness and tears than they are of praise. It is hard to praise when we are feeling the hurt of separation and the sting of death. A hurt and separation that Connie well knew, when her husband died, when her friend Phyllis died, and surely at other losses as well, family and friends alike.

But I chose this psalm because this is the phrase the Connie would always say to me whenever I saw her. Praise the Lord. Maybe to you, too. No matter how she was feeling that day, no matter where we were or what was happening, I knew she would say this to me. And if she were here with us today, I think she still would. Praise the Lord, even in a cemetery.

Which we can! Because we know that death is not the end for those who are in Jesus, baptized into Him. Yes, we will die, but our life will not end. Because as those women who went to the tomb on Easter morning found out, those women who were hurting and sad, who were feeling the sting of death and had eyes filled with tears, death had been defeated. The tomb was empty. Jesus had risen, just as He said He would. Which means the final word in the battle between life and death . . . goes to life. Graves look so deep and so final, but today we look beyond the grave, beyond what we can see, to what we hear. 

And what we heard today is this: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

With these words, St. Paul is looking into the grave, and mocking it. The death that defeated us has itself been defeated. The sin that stings us has been stung. The Law which condemns us can condemn us no more. Because Jesus took it all on, and won. The victory is His and so it is ours, too. Just as His grave was empty that first Easter morning, so too will this grave be empty on the final day - Connie’s Easter morning. Connie risen just as her Lord. Her perishable body then imperishable. Her mortal body then immortal. The question is not if, but when. Must is the word Paul used. This must happen, because Jesus has brought sin, death, grave, and hell to its knees.

And that is a reason we praise the Lord! It is easy to praise the Lord when things are going well, life is easy, and everything is going our way. But to be able to praise the Lord here, in this place, at such a time as this, is a gift.

A gift from our risen Lord and Saviour. Whose grave, actually, wasn’t empty that first Easter morning. The reading we heard from Matthew never said that - only that Jesus was not there. But when He rose, alive and victorious, the carcasses of your sins remained in the grave. Jesus rose, but they never will.

Which is another reason to praise the Lord! Because sometimes, when a loved one dies, we have regrets. I could have done this or that. I should have visited more. I wish I had said this or hadn’t said that. And those can weigh heavy on us. But Jesus’ resurrection means you are free from that guilt. He took it away from you and bore it Himself on the cross. He paid for it. So you are free. And whatever sin and guilt Connie had is gone, too. For her, for us, in Jesus, there is only life. A life that not even death can end.

And so we have a joy that death cannot end either. Even at a time like this, even in a place like this. Yes, we are sad, but at the same time can praise the Lord. Which, I think, is what Connie would say to us if she were here with us today. So I’ll say it for her. And I hope you will, too. Everyday. To remind yourself, and to tell others, of the victory that is ours in Jesus.

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

Pentecost 15 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“Living in the Joy of Forgiveness”

Text: Matthew 18:21-35

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

Peter asked a question. So Jesus told a parable. No surprise there. Jesus frequently answers questions with stories which contain His answer.

So what is His answer here? To Peter?

Well, Peter had asked Him: Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? First, give credit where credit is due. Peter is being generous here. The rabbis of that day said three times was the limit. Peter does them more than two times greater. So good for you, Peter! You’re learning. 

But Peter, here’s where you’re off track: not with the number you picked, but that you picked a number. Because it’s not about numbers; it’s not about counting. Never was. Never will be. In fact, if I can speak like this, God really doesn’t like to count. He can, of course. He knows the exact number of hairs on each and every one of your heads, we are told (Matthew 10:30). But if you think God is into counting sins, knowing how many times you’ve broken each commandment, you’ve got God all wrong.

So Jesus tells a parable, to help us understand. And it’s the beginning of this parable that we need to get right - otherwise we will misunderstand the whole thing. 

So here goes: Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. Now here’s the question we must first answer to get this parable right: why? Why did the king want to settle accounts? And why do it himself? The president doesn’t pay his own bills - he has someone do it for him. The CEO doesn’t send out invoices - he has an accounting department to do that for him. Because presidents and CEOs have more important things to do. Presidential things, executive things. And this king has kingly things to tend to! This seems below him. It doesn’t really make sense, when you think about it. Have a servant tend to the accounts. Why do it himself? . . . . Unless there’s more to it than meets the eye. Unless it’s really not about the money . . .

And that’s really the answer: he did it to do what he did! This king wished to be merciful. He brings his debtors in not to demand from them, not to coerce them, not to punish them, but to forgive them. This wasn’t something the king would suddenly have decided to do. If he wanted his money, he would get his money. But the king knew such a debt could never be repaid. Ten thousand talents is more like a national debt than a personal one. It couldn’t be repaid if the servant lived several lifetimes. The servant was pleading for his life. So the king wasn’t going to hammer him for a few bucks - what’s the point of that? And not very kingly. So instead of a debt that couldn’t be paid and a servant who couldn’t pay it, the king forgives. And in doing so, both receive what they could never have gotten before. Forgiveness brings the king joy and gives the servant his life back again.

Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. And notice what Jesus says here; don’t overlook this little nugget: it is the king Himself who would settle the accounts, not the servants.

Which is what the kingdom of heaven is like, for it is what happens here each Sunday. The King is here to settle accounts. You have a debt you cannot pay. You don’t even know how big the debt is! How much you have accumulated, how many sins you have done. But you cannot repay it. What you have done cannot be undone. What you have failed to do you cannot now go back and do. The hurts you have inflicted. The people you walked by and didn’t help. The lies, the hate, the lust, the anger, the greed. So what are we to do but plead for our lives? Plead for mercy and grace and forgiveness. And that is the very reason the King is here: not to hammer you for a few bucks, or looking for a few drops of your blood; not to demand from you, coerce you, or punish you, but to forgive you. So He does. I forgive you all your sins. And they really are. Every last one. It is His joy, to give you joy. And life.

Because your King, your God, is not about counting, but about mercy. That’s how He is. And that’s how He wants His children to be. Not counters, not demanders, not coercers, not punishers, but joyful forgivers. And by our forgiveness bringing joy to both God and those we forgive.

So it is a problem when we do not. When we take the life that our good and gracious and generous King has given us back with His kind and merciful forgiveness, and use that gift of life that we have received to take away the lives of others and make them bitter. 

Which is what the servant in this parable did. Just as the king did what he did because he wanted to be merciful, so the servant did what he did because he did not. This was no chance encounter. He went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a few bucks . . . now that he could keep it! Right? Before, when he owed the king, had he collected the money he would have to give it to the king to pay his debt. So what’s the rush, right? But now that he was debt free, it would be his! So he does what the king would not: he demands, he coerces, he punishes. Payment in full! No mercy. No forgiveness. No life. Prison.

So if you came here today, came before the King, and confessed your sins and received His absolution, but have no intention of forgiving that person who wronged you the other day . . . If you’re going to make ‘em pay for what they did to you! . . .

Or if you are planning on coming to the Altar in just a few moments to receive the Lord’s Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins, all of them, but intend to hold onto that grudge you’ve been nursing, that slight you experienced, the payback you’ve been plotting . . .

If you think that is the way to live the new life of mercy and forgiveness you’ve been given by the death and resurrection of the King’s own Son . . . If you think you’ve forgiven enough - even more than seven times! - so your forgiveness is used up . . . If you think that’s how God rolls . . . that God’s just going to let that be . . . 

For maybe, this servant who owed his fellow servant was one who also owed a debt to the king, but had been forgiven, too. And filled with joy and life he went out from the king, only to have that joy and life taken away from him by this other servant, this wicked servant. The gift of the king taken away, robbing not only the servant, but also the king.

Do you think the king’s going to take that lightly? No. For the king, this sin was worse than the enormous debt that had been forgiven. No spitting in the King’s face. Or on His mercy.

So Peter, you decide. How big would you like mercy to be? How big would you like God’s forgiveness to you to be? Seven times? Is that what you want? Or seventy times seven times? Or do you want that mercy that is as wide and high and long and deep as the cross? That forgiveness of each and every sin Jesus paid for by His own blood. What say you, Peter?

And what say you, O Christian? Still want to hold that grudge? Still want to make that person pay? Still want revenge? Is that the life you have been given in your Baptism, where your enormous, unpayable debt was paid and the old man in you died and a new man arose to live a new life? Is that the life that is fed and nourished here by the Body and Blood of your Saviour? Is that the life that brings joy to your Father in heaven? Is that the kind of life that brings joy to you? To go out from here and grab your fellow servants by the neck?

Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?

He’s your brother! So as often as it takes. And even if he continues to sin against you, you are living in the joy of your forgiveness, and bringing joy to your Father in heaven. 

And it is of benefit to you, too. Holding onto grudges, exacting revenge, plotting payback does not leave your heart undamaged, and even forgets the forgiveness it has been given and begins to think of God in that way. And so you wander from the forgiveness you so need, and the merciful Father you so need. And all of life becomes one big accounting - getting what I can and holding others accountable. And while that may be the way of the world, that is not the way of the kingdom of heaven; of your King, your God, your Saviour.

If that’s the way you want it, that’s the way you’ll have it. But be careful what you wish for. And what you live for. Better by far is the way of the cross. The Son of God who gave His life for you that you may live. That Son of God who paid your debt to make you free. The Son of God who came to settle accounts, and did. Himself. The Son of God who didn’t come to wrap His hands around your neck and say: Pay what you owe! But who came and wrapped His arms around you and said: I paid what you owe! Go, you are free. And you really are. That’s why He came and what He’s all about. What He came to do what He did. Not looking to shed a few drops of your blood, but wanting to shed His, for you.

That’s the joy of the Lord for you, and the joy the Lord wants for you. Don’t let the devil, the world, or your own sinful nature ruin it or take it away from you, when they try to convince you that revenge is better than forgiveness, that anger is better than love, that greed is better than grace. No. That’s not how your Father rolls, so that’s not how you roll. The one who gave you new birth is merciful - then and now. So come, receive that mercy and life. Come, receive the debt-cancelling forgiveness of God in the Body and Blood of Jesus. And then go and spread the joy! Go and mercy. Go and forgive. 

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

Pentecost 14 Sermon

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Labor for Your Neighbor”

Text: Matthew 18:1-20; Romans 13:1-10

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

There’s a PSA - a Public Service Announcement, a commercial that tries to sell you on an idea, not a thing - that I’ve seen running a lot lately. About wearing masks. And it’s trying to teach the public that wearing a mask is not primarily for your own benefit, but for your neighbor’s benefit. To prevent the spread of Covid by those who have the virus but are asymptomatic. So please, it says, think about others. Please put others first. Wear a mask. Do it for your neighbor.

Now, you may agree or disagree with that and wearing a mask - that’s fine. Not really my point. What I think is interesting is this mindset that is being taught, and needs to be taught - to put my neighbor first. To put the needs of my neighbor ahead of my own. In a world where I’m used to competing against my neighbor, a world more focused on self-gratitude and self-fulfillment, in a world where we’re marinated in me-first, my rights, my getting, greed is good, thinking - this is quite a change. And a difficult one for many who have been so focused on and thinking in this way for so long - difficult to wrap their minds around. It’s not about me . . . It’s not for me . . . It’s for them. Hmmm.

Maybe this is something good that will come out of all this - to turn the thinking of folks. A little less on me and a little more on you. 

It’s the mindset of the Christian . . . or, um, er, well, it’s supposed to be. But we’re being marinated, too. We’re also being pickled by this other way of thinking. We’re steeped in it. It’s hard not to be effected. And then add to that our sinful nature, which likes it putting me first - that’s a powerful one-two punch. And exactly what the devil had in mind. Create Christians in name only - Christians who say they’re Christians, but look and live just like the world. For while maybe he can’t keep you from being saved, he can prevent you from helping others . . .

Now certainly, the world is different than the church and ought to be. They are different kingdoms with different ways of doing things. In the world there are those who serve and those who are served. Some are greater than others. There are different levels of powers and status. And so it must be. There must be bosses and workers, government and the governed, parents and children. If all that gets stripped away, there will be chaos. As Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, the worldly orders have been established by God for our good. So we submit to our leaders, pay taxes, and all of that. That’s all good. 

The problem is when this kind of power and status thinking leeches into the Church, into God’s kingdom. In the world, it belongs. In here, it does not. In the Church, there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. All are equally sinners, all are equally baptized, all are equally and fully forgiven, all are equally fed, all equally saved. Whatever you are in the world, even if you are President of the United States - when you walk in here, through those doors, there is no difference. Young and old, high and low. All confess together. All receive together.

So when the disciples ask Jesus today, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? it is a completely wrong question. It is a worldly question that has no place in the kingdom of God. Yet, one that we sometimes ask, too, like, for example, when we wonder where my place in heaven is going to be? Or, what size will my mansion be? That’s really who-will-I-be-greater-than thinking.

So Jesus calls a little child over. A little child who was probably playing and not really thinking about greatness or the “adult” conversation that was going on, and He puts this little child in the midst of the twelve - the twelve! The special twelve! Jesus’ own great twelve! - and He says, here. Here’s great. You want to be great? Be this. Or for us, the answer is: stop worrying about your place in heaven or how big your mansion is going to be. Instead, remember those days when you were little and all that mattered was running around and playing outside? What if that’s what heaven will be like for you? No worries. You get to be a child again. 

Evidently this was difficult for the disciples to understand because this greatness question is going to come up two more times after this - including when they bring it up at the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22)! Here, My Body. Here, My Blood. Uh . . . that’s great Jesus, but who’s the greatest? And then, Jesus on His hands and knees, washing their feet . . .  And then Jesus on the cross, dying for them . . .

Here. Here’s great. Stop trying to be great. Because look! You’re already great in my eyes! I came for you and became a child for you. I came to serve you. I died on the cross for you. How much greater can you be, than to have the Son of God take your sins upon Himself and die for them, for you? What can you do that’s going to add to that? What can you be to make yourself greater than that? Stop thinking like that. Instead, turn and become like this child. A child of your heavenly Father. Think like this. 

Jesus is being like the prophet Ezekiel here. In our Ezekiel study we’ve noted now Ezekiel uses something called “action prophecies” - prophecies told through what he does more than what he says. That’s what Jesus is doing here - kind of an “action parable.” The disciples often didn’t get His words - not yet, anyway. But how shocking this must have been. A little child, maybe even just beginning to walk! This one is great. Be this. 

Be this because, on this Labor Day weekend, we know that Jesus is the one who labored for us. Whatever we need, all that we need, He did. Or to put it in the words of St. Matthew that we heard today: He gave His hands and feet and eyes for us on the cross. He goes and finds us when we lose our way. He loosed every sin that was tied to you, that was binding you and dragging you down to hell, and put them around His own neck and died with them. And then He rose. And so now, not sin, not hell, not death, can claim you. Jesus claims you. He’s the one who died for you. So you belong to Him, not them. You’re His child, not theirs. 

And you come here each week to be marinated in this good news! Out there, the world is steeping you in its way of thinking, but in here, Jesus is. And while the amount of time spent in the world and the amount of time spent here is quite different, there is an advantage here: the Spirit. The Spirit working through the word, through the Absolution, through the Body and Blood of Christ, to give you Jesus and form you in Him. It’s a kind of PSA proclaimed here every week, but which is more: because here, the Spirit doesn’t just give information or try to convince you of something, but actually gives what is announced in the Word. Actually gives you Jesus and His life and His forgiveness. That, as we prayed in the Collect today, we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them.

Accomplish them. The things that are right. That we act right because we think right. That we act right not to make ourselves right, but because Jesus has made us right. You see, that’s the kind of thinking we need to be taught and that is so difficult for so many to wrap their minds around. Because in the world, you do right to be right; you do good to be good. But in the Church, it’s exactly the opposite: you do right because Jesus has made you right. You do good because Jesus has made you good. 

Or to repackage that . . . we’re use to the thinking: don’t sin so you can be saved! No. You are saved. That’s Jesus’ labor, for you. His work, for you. Rather, you, don’t sin, for your neighbor. Like that PSA about wearing a mask - don’t do it for you, do it for them. Do it not to be great, but because you already are. Because you’re a child of God. So turn your minds around and think like that. 

Hmmm. It’s not about me . . . It’s not for me . . . It’s for them.

So yes, it’s better to cut off your hands and feet and gouge out your eyes and live without them rather than to go to hell with them. But even better is to cut off your hands and feet and gouge out your eyes and live without them so that your neighbor doesn’t go there! So that she can join you like a child, playing on the streets of heaven.

Now, in my experience, we all say we would, of course, do this! But only because we know we really aren’t probably going to have to. Like the husband who promised that he will lay down his life for his wife - because he thinks all that means is just jumping in front of a bullet, which he probably really won’t have to do! So let’s be a bit more realistic, shall we?

So let’s say . . . what if everyone gouged out their eyes, so to speak, and stopped watching say, porn, there would be no more porn and your neighbor would be saved from it. 

What if you cut off your hands, so to speak, and didn’t post that nastygram on social media, and so you spared your neighbor from bitterness and shame. 

What if everyone cut off their feet, so to speak, and stopped going along with the crowd, but instead walked in the way of love - maybe your neighbor could then join you and do the same. 

Or what if I reached out to the one rather than spending all my time with the ninety-nine? 

Or what if I cut off my tongue, so to speak, rather than repeating that juicy piece of gossip, and saved my neighbor’s reputation? 

What if I closed my eyes more in prayer? What if I opened my hands more in mercy? What if I used my feet to run to my neighbor in need? And again, all this not to save myself - I already am! Saved. A baptized child of God. But all these things because I already am. And so be like Jesus. Being His child.

You see, that’s my labor, this Labor Day weekend. Jesus has His, for you. And so yours is for your neighbor. And maybe this Labor Day, see your labor in that way! That you are a mask - a mask of God. God using you, hiding behind you and what you do, for the benefit of your neighbor. Using you as His blessing to others. So what you do isn’t just to make money, what you do isn’t to save yourself - what you do, you do as a child of God. Loving others because Jesus first loved you.

That’s the marinating, the steeping, the pickling, we need! In the love of Jesus. In His forgiveness and life. Drinking it in with our eyes and ears and mouths. Having Him and His Spirit permeate all that we are, all our thoughts and desires. And so we become that, become Him. That we be enabled to set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them.

Wrap you mind around a world like that! A world filled with people like that. Sounds like . . . well, Paradise, doesn’t it? 

Hmmm . . .

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