Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“The Depths of the Sea”

Text: Romans 11:33-12:8; Matthew 16:13-20; Isaiah 51:1-6

 

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

One of the more amazing things science has done lately is send unmanned vehicles down into the depths of the sea. Deeper than we’ve ever been before and maybe deeper than we even knew the sea to be! And those probes have sent back pictures of things never before seen - weird and unusual creatures. Things no one could imagine or even think real, had we not seen the images.

But there is something even deeper and more amazing, unsearchable, and inscrutable than that. We heard it from St. Paul today. He said, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! So if we could plunge the depths of God’s mind, the depths of God’s wisdom and knowledge, what we would discover? Things unimaginable, I’m sure! Things beyond our wildest imagination. Things perhaps, to us, weird and unusual. 

Things like . . . using the horrific death of the cross to save. Using suffering to help us. Using the devil and evil for good. Using water to wash our hearts and bread and wine to feed our souls. Things no one could imagine and even think real - not because we have seen these things (Iike with the ocean), but because we have been told them. Because they have been revealed to us by God Himself.

A device that lets you see underwater and reveals that world is called a bathyscope. What reveals to us the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God and reveals to us His mind is His Word. 

So when Jesus asked His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is? and Peter responded for them all, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus called Peter blessed - not blessed because of the answer he gave, but blessed in order to give the answer he gave. Because this had been revealed to him and the others. Revealed by the Father in the Scriptures that Jesus was teaching and fulfilling. Otherwise, making the connection of this guy Jesus from Nazareth and the very Son of God would never have entered their minds. Just like those weird and unusual creatures in the depth of the sea we could never have imagined, were they not revealed to us.

This is the rock, the rock of God’s Word, of God revealing this truth to us and our confessing this truth, the rock of the forgiveness of sins -  the forgiveness that Peter and the others are then told to go give just as they have received - this is the rock upon which the Church is built. The rock on which it can never be moved. Not even by the gates of hell - no matter how close, dark, and fearsomely looming they may be. 

And sometimes they seem pretty close, don’t they! And fearsome. And seem to be winning. We see the evil in the world and the evil in our lives and the sin and wickedness that sometimes spews from us, and that rock on which the Church is built can seem like a little pebble that ain’t much! 

So this is where we need the bathyscope of God’s Word - so that we can see below the surface, below just what we can see happening in the world to the depths of God’s wisdom and knowledge and work. Because there’s stuff going on beneath the surface that we could never imagine and would never think true were it not revealed to us. 

And one of those Scriptures revealing this to us is the Old Testament reading we heard today from Isaiah, who tells us to look to Abraham and Sarah. God says, he was but one when I called him, so that I might bless him and multiply him. And we know how God did that, but don’t forget how He did that through a lot of hardship, pain, difficulties, and ways Abraham could never have imagined! (And frankly, didn’t want!) Like, when God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Unimaginable! Inscrutable! Right?And yet, God blessed. And then the stories of what happened to Jacob and Joseph and David . . . the Word of God revealing to us the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. Showing us that, as Paul went on to say, that from him and through him and to him are all things. ALL things. Things that seem to us good and things that seem to us evil. There is nothing that is not from Him, nothing that is not used by Him, and nothing that is not for Him. To His glory forever. AMEN!

Now wait a second, Pastor! ALL things? Even evil things? How can that be? God isn’t evil or cause evil! True. But He can and does use it for good. And imagine how frustrating that must be for the devil! When God turns around his evil and wicked ways for His own good! Like, when the devil tempts us into sin, and then drives us to despair because of that sin, but God then turns that and uses that to drive us to confess our sins and find refuge and hope in Jesus! Or when evil drives us to prayer, confusion drives us to the Word, our hunger and thirst for something better drives us to the altar. And like Abraham, God blesses us through such hardship, pain, and difficulty . . . which we frankly don’t want! But God knows that we need. Not to punish us, but in order to bless us. 

And, of course, the example par excellance of God using evil for good is His own cross. The cross on which He - the Son of God, God Himself - hung. The hatred and evil of men putting Him there, but then every drop of blood from His head, His hands, His feet, His back, and His side, providing life and forgiveness and blessing. And then His resurrection breaking open death and the grave - a depth even greater and more foreboding than the depths of the sea - but conquered by Jesus for you. So that, as one of our hymns says (LSB #883 v.3), we can fear the grave as little as our bed.

Those probes that have revealed to us the depths of the sea - and other discoveries of science - have caused us to rethink what we thought we knew. And so it is also with God’s Word. When the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God are revealed to us, our hearts and minds and lives are transformed. It’s not just that we rethink what we thought we knew (although we do), but that the Spirit of God transforms us. That’s the word Paul used today. And it is the same word used of Jesus in His transfiguration! That’s how God wants to bless and transform us! From this to that. From cross to glory. From the earthly to the eternal. And it is His Word and Sacraments that do that. That both reveal that to us and work that in us.

For, as God said through the prophet Isaiah, my righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples. Now it’s hard, perhaps, to wrap your mind around that, because the world we live in doesn’t seem to have righteousness anywhere near! And because righteousness and salvation are abstract things. But God’s Word then plumbs the depths of that for us and reveals to us what He means and makes it concrete for us. That these words of Isaiah are talking about Jesus. That He is the righteous one who drew near us. That He is the saving one who has come down from heaven to us. And that His arms took the judgment of God against the sin of the world on the cross. Bringing a salvation and a righteousness that will be forever because His resurrection is forever.

And when that is yours, when you can fear the grave as little as your bed, when you know your life and future are secure in Jesus, when you are baptized by His hand and fed with His Body and Blood, because Jesus offered His body as a dead sacrifice (though now risen!), you can now, as Paul said, present your bodies as a living sacrifice. You can entrust your life to Him. And not in an abstract way - but just as the righteousness and salvation of God came down in a concrete way in Jesus, so you entrust your life to God in concrete ways as well. Husbands laying down your life for your wife. Wives honoring and respecting your husband. Children honoring, serving, obeying, loving, and cherishing your parents. By forgiving as you have been forgiven. By serving, giving, encouraging. Not that any of that will now be easy! I don’t know if it ever will be! But knowing the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, of all that He has done for you and has promised you, of His Word transforming your heart and mind and life . . . you now can. And you know that though hard, God is using it to bless - both you and those you serve. 

And even though the gates of hell might seem like they are your next door neighbor, or even in your own home, they cannot win. They cannot put Jesus back in the grave or back on the cross or send Him back into heaven. He is here for you. And He’s not leaving. He’s going to keep washing you and feeding you and lifting you up and through His Word revealing to you the depths of His love for you. Love that is beyond what you could imagine or ever think real. Yet there it is. On the cross, in the font, and on the altar for you. Weird and unusual . . . maybe. But life changing and life giving.

So now I’m going to ask our organist to play hymn #611 during the offering after the prayers, and as she does, I want you to read along. It kind of sums up what I’ve said here today. And maybe during those tough times in your life - those Abraham times! - it can remind you of the depth of God love for you that is deeper than the depths of the sea, and lasting to eternity. The love that found you, the love revealed to you, the love that you confess, and the love that saves you. 

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

The Congregation at Prayer

For the Week of Pentecost 13 (August 24-29, 2026)

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

Speak the Apostles’ Creed. 

Verse: Psalm 26:8 – “O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.”

Hymn of the Week:  Lutheran Service Book #531 “Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus”

Hymns for Sunday: 913, 531, 636, 716, 728, 837

Readings for the Week: [The readings for Thursday-Saturday are the Scriptures for this coming Sunday.]

Monday: Psalm 26

Have you “trusted in the Lord without wavering?” Who has? How can the words of this psalm be true for you?

Tuesday: Proverbs 3:1–8

Commemoration of St. Bartholomew, Apostle. How does God’s Word give life? How does it help us see ourselves rightly? How does it direct our paths?

Wednesday: Revelation 6:9–11

Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist (Saturday). How are the souls of the martyrs precious to Jesus? Are there more to come? Why? Should we be afraid of this? Why or why not?

Thursday: Jeremiah 15:15–21

What does it mean for the Lord to “remember” you? Does He ever forget you? Why does it sometimes seem so?

Friday: Romans 12:9–21

List all the things mentioned here by Paul that love does! Can you do all these things? Who has Jesus given you to help you?

Saturday: Matthew 16:21-28

What does it mean to “take up your cross?” Is this easy or hard? Why? What do we gain by losing our life? How?

The Catechism - The Lord’s Prayer: The Fourth Petition [part 1]: Give us this day our daily bread. What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

Collect for the Week: Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Prayers:  Please pray for . . .

+ yourself and for all in need (remembering especially those on our prayer list).

+ God’s blessing, wisdom, and guidance for our congregation’s keyboardists and musicians.

+ the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, for God’s wisdom, blessing, guidance, and provision.

+ God’s blessing, guidance, and provision for Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catherines, ON.

Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer and Luther’s Morning or Evening Prayer from the Catechism.

Now joyfully go about your day (or to bed) in good cheer, child of God!

Collect for the Week © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.

Lutheran Service Book Hymn License: 110019268

Sermon for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Thank you to Chaplain David Schleusener who filled in for Pastor Douthwaite and proclaimed the Word of God for us today. If you would like to listen to Chaplain's Schleusener's preachment, go here to our YouTube channel to watch the recording of the livestream. Pastor Douthwaite will be back next Sunday.

Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Pulled Up from Death to Life”

Text: Matthew 14:22-33; Romans 10:5-17

 

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

Did Peter getting out of the boat show his great faith or his little faith?

I think we usually assume it shows his great faith. I mean, getting out of a boat to walk on water! I wouldn’t do that! Not even in calm weather, let alone when there’s a storm and winds and waves tossing the boat around. I’d be holding on to not get tossed out. You go, Peter!

But Peter’s challenge to Jesus might show us something else going on here . . . So let’s think about this a little more . . . and back up and go through the story a little, first . . .

It was the fourth watch of the night when this happened.That means between three and six am. Which means they’ve been sailing for awhile, while Jesus stayed behind. And they were a long way from land. It was a stormy night, we are told, so I’m sure they hadn’t had any sleep. It was all they could do to keep making progress. It was a night not fit for man nor beast, as they say. So to see the sun come up soon would be a most welcome sight!

And in the midst of this sleepless, all-night struggle, suddenly they see a figure out on the water. And knowing how things work in this world, that people don’t walk on water but sink in water, they cry out, It is a ghost! Because what else could it be? Storms they can handle. Ghosts are another matter!

But then Jesus immediately, Matthew says, spoke to them. He doesn’t leave them in their fear, not even a little. He assures them right away. Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. And that should have been enough. It was the voice they knew, the voice of their Good Shepherd, the voice that had been speaking and teaching and healing, the voice that spoke only truth, the voice that had called them to discipleship - that voice spoke to them. And that should have been enough. 

But this was different! Jesus wasn’t there! He couldn’t be there! He was far away. He had stayed behind. So between that and sailing all night and the fact that people can’t walk on water . . . they could put two and two together! It might be His voice . . . maybe . . . But to their small minds and little faiths, a ghost made more sense!

So Peter puts Jesus to the test. Because he wants more than the Word of God - he wants some kind of assurance, some kind of proof. So, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. Now, I don’t know why a ghost couldn’t lie and tell him that! But the point still holds: Peter wants more. And so he says, to paraphrase: OK Lord, let’s assume for the moment that what you said is true. Let’s assume it’s you. If it is, command me to come to you on the water. Then I’ll believe it.

And Jesus does. Come, He says. I wonder if that’s what Peter expected! If he hesitated . . . But Peter gets out of the boat and actually does it! We’re not told how long, how many steps. One? Two? Twenty? It doesn’t matter, really. Because soon enough, his fear sets in again. And he begins to sink. His idol, what he looked to for assurance, being able to walk on water, let him down. Because there’s only one who could give him what he was looking for, what he needed, and what he needs now more than ever! And so he cries out, Lord, save me! And again immediately, Jesus does. Jesus doesn’t say, C’mon! Try harder! Or, if you really believe it’s me, take a couple more steps! None of that nonsense. Jesus grabs him, takes him by the hand, and saves him.

And notice: while they’re still on the water, before they get back to the boat, while Jesus is still holding onto Peter, he says, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Now, you could take that in two ways. One is: Why did you doubt that you would walk on water . . . but that doesn’t really fit because Peter had jumped out of the boat. So the second way maybe is better. This: Why did you doubt my Word? Why did you doubt what I told you? Why did you doubt when I said, It is I? That would mean Peter getting out of the boat showed his little faith. That he wanted more than just the Word of Jesus. That wasn’t enough.

And here is where I think we can relate. Because like Peter, we sometimes(?) . . . often times(?) . . . want more than just the Word of God. Yes Lord, I know what you said. I know what your Word says. That you are with me always. That you are always working good for me. That my sins are forgiven. That I am your child. And lots more! But . . . you know, it sure doesn’t seem like it! Life is tough; stormy! I have so many challenges. It feels like you’re so far away. Your words are good, but . . . I need assurance, I need proof, I need a sign. Maybe not walking on water, or anything as big as that. But something! And we think, like Peter, if I get that, if I just get that, I’ll be good. Show me Jesus! Show me!

But like with Peter, that’s not the answer. It doesn’t give us what we need. Oh, maybe for a step or two or twenty, even. But the truth is, those things - signs, proof - are idols. False gods we are looking to for assurance, for what we think we need. But they can’t. Because like with Peter, they don’t last. Storms kick up again. New problems arise. Health problems, money problems, job situations. People and places change. New challenges to our faith. And then the old sign, the old proof, the old feeling, the old assurance, is either forgotten or isn’t good enough anymore. I want, I need new, more, bigger, better. Lord, if it is you, if you are with really me, do this, do that. Show me!

It is the apostle Paul that points us back in the right direction again today. Not to signs and wonders. He says: So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. The Word of Christ, which is enough. The Word of Christ preached to you. Which Peter himself would later affirm in one of his letters, when he would say that the things of this world come and go. You can’t depend on them. The grass withers, and the flower falls - things wear out and people die. But there is something that won’t; that will last. And so he says, The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you (1 Peter 1:24b-25). And then he would say in his next letter something remarkable, that even after seeing Jesus in His transfiguration (!), seeing Him in His glory, seeing this sign, we have something more sure, the prophetic word (2 Peter 1:19). Peter is clinging to the Word, pointing us to the Word of God. Seems he learned his lesson from that day on the sea . . .

That’s something we need to learn, too. That the Word of the Lord is what we need. And that the Word of the Lord is enough.

And then the apostle Paul would write to the Corinthian Christians about this same thing! This yearning for a sign, for proof. Seems like it’s part of our human nature. He said: Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom - but that’s not what we’re about. We preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). That is, Christ crucified, dead, buried, and now risen from the dead, the victor over sin, death, and the grave. And risen from the dead, the one who is with us always, the one who is still working all things for our good (even if it doesn’t seem like it or we can’t imagine how!), and the one we can count on because He triumphed over everything that threatens us and frightens us. Our sin, the sins of others, shame, guilt, death, the grave - all taken care of by Him. All defeated by Him. To give life to us.So if you’re looking for proof, you already have it. It is the resurrection that is our proof. The resurrection promised by the prophets, testified by the apostles, and now proclaimed to us and given to us.

So the Christian life isn’t about being a water-walker, or about living a great, triumphant life that is the envy of everyone else. A life that looks successful and above the troubles of the world. That’s what the devil wants you to think to make you doubt like Peter and think you are inferior and you’ll never measure up as he tries to drive you to despair and to give up. No, the Christian life isn’t about sinners walking on water - it is about sinners being pulled up by the hand of Jesus. That’s what Peter needed, what we need, what everyone needs. The hand of Jesus once nailed to the cross, but now pulling you up in the water of Baptism and making you His child. The hand of Jesus placed upon your head giving you the forgiveness of your sins. The hand of Jesus putting into your mouth His very own Body and Blood. And His Word spoken with each of these signs given to you. Signs which don’t just point to, but actually give you His gifts. The forgiveness, life, salvation, assurance, and faith you need. 

And so each week we come here like Peter. We’re sinking, we’re drowning in a stormy, evil, sin-filled world. We’re troubled by our own doubts and fears wondering where our salvation is, and calling out with our hearts and minds and mouths, Lord, save me! For that’s really what we’re saying in confession each Sunday. I’m sinking! I’m in trouble! Lord, save me! And He does. He speaks: Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid, I forgive you all your sins. Do not be afraid, take eat; take drink, food for your soul. And those are not empty words, or simple reminders - they do what they say. His Word, and His Spirit working in and through that Word, giving us all we need and exactly what we need. You may not feel any different. Things may not seem any different. But it is just as true for you as it was for Peter that day on the sea, what we heard from St. Paul today: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

It might not be easy. It probably won’t be! With the devil, the world, and your own sinful nature attacking you. And you might still be in the first, second, or third watches of your night, surrounded by storms, being tossed about, laboring, struggling. But Jesus is not far off. He is where His Word is. Or to use the words we heard from St. Paul today, you don’t have to ascend into heaven to bring Jesus down nor descend into the abyss to bring Him up. He already did that for you! He came down from heaven in His incarnation. He came up from the dead in His resurrection. And He ascended not to leave you but to fill the earth with His presence, to be with you always, wherever you are. And so He is as near as His Word. For where His Word is, there is He. Peter needed to learn that. As do we. Both for ourselves, and to encourage others who are sinking. To encourage one another until, like with the disciples that day on the sea, the storms of life are past, and we are with Jesus, who was with us all along. And we confess with those disciples and the disciples of all time, Truly you are the Son of God. Who saved me. 

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

Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Someone Else Paid”

Text: Isaiah 55:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21; Romans 9:1-13

 

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

The prophet Isaiah said today: 

He who has no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

When I was Pastor before here, at my church in New York, I had a little old lady who just couldn’t understand those words. She would always ask me: How can you buy anything if you have no money? She was an immigrant. She knew what it was like to be poor and hungry and have no money and so not be able to get what you need. She knew how the world worked, and this was not it!

And she was right. Mostly. But sometimes it is. There was a thing not too long ago - maybe some folks still do it - when in line at a coffee shop or a toll booth, people would pay for one or two or three people coming after them, but not tell them. Remember that? So when the next people in line came up to pay, their bill was already taken care of. Maybe you were on the receiving end of that. It’s a pleasant surprise. Because mostly, in this world, that’s not how it is. You want something, you gotta pay for it. That little old lady at my church in New York knew that well. She had lived a hard life.

So maybe, when the prophet Isaiah spoke these words that we heard today, they sounded a bit off, a bit wrong to the people back then, too. But that’s exactly why Isaiah speaks them! To grab their attention. To teach them that while this is the way the world works, it is not the way God works. That when it comes to your spiritual life, and the spiritual food and drink you need to live now and forever, someone else paid that price for you. The someone else that Isaiah had just preached a chapter or two before this one. The one who paid the price for your sin. The one who paid the price for your peace. The one who paid the price for your life. That what you need, you have. God was sending His servant to do that for you, Isaiah prophesied.

And that’s what John the Baptist prophesied, too, some 700 years after Isaiah. But not just that God would be sending His servant to do that, but that He had! That servant was here. Now. Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)! Or in other words, the one who has come to pay the price for you. To shed his blood and give His life for you, that you may live and eat and drink in the kingdom of God. A feast you could never afford! But which is now here for you, because of Him. Because of that one. Jesus.

But now, as we heard in the Gospel today, John’s voice had been silenced. Just as Isaiah’s voice had been. Isaiah by being sawn in two. John by beheading. But now that the one they prophesied had come, and God said no more prophets after John, that meant now the time had come. To do it. To pay the price. To fulfill God’s Word.

So Jesus, hearing that John has been killed, withdraws to a desolate place by himself. Not because He’s sad, I don’t think. He knows the ending of John’s life here and now is his birthday in heaven. But the ending of John’s life means the laying down of his own - soon. So Jesus withdraws because going out to desolate places is where God often sends people to prepare them. When people go out to the wilderness in the Scriptures, that’s a signal - something’s going to happen. 

And as we heard, it does! Jesus goes out and the crowds follow Him. In fact, they somehow get there before He does! So that when He goes ashore, He sees a great crowd already gathered there. And Jesus does what Jesus always does: He has compassion on them. He heals their sick. He takes care of them. It’s what Jesus does, as the Good Shepherd.

So what of Jesus’ preparation in this desolate place? Is He robbed of this? OR, maybe He didn’t go out for His own preparation - maybe it was to prepare them. The crowds. The people. To teach them, about Himself. 

So He does as Isaiah prophesied. He gives them food without price. From just five loaves of bread and two fish, He feeds five thousand men plus women and children. He takes the bread and fish, says a blessing, breaks, and then gives. And they all ate and were satisfied. Every. Last. One. Jesus feeding not just a few (as our generosity might), but a great multitude that could scarcely be numbered. And there’s even more. More food left over. The disciples couldn’t imagine feeding so many. Jesus couldn’t imagine feeding so few. He had come to do far more. To provide the food and drink of immortality for the world. For all people of all time. 

Food and drink that is here for you today. Food and drink that not only has been paid for by the Body and Blood of Jesus, but that IS the Body and Blood of Jesus! Where we’re living may not be a wilderness, but it is in some ways. For some, this world is a desolate place. A place of loneliness, of fear, of trouble, of hunger. People living from day to day, wondering what’s next, waiting for the other shoe to drop. A place of sickness and death and uncertainty. 

But in the midst of all that, an altar turned table, by the Lamb sacrificed on it, and now given from it. Food and drink without money and without price, because it has been been paid for not with gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb of God without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:18-19). The blood of God which is enough to pay for the sin of the world, to give life to the world. And so, Isaiah says, come and delight yourself in this rich food! This rich food here for you. And live. There is no food richer, no food better. O living bread from heaven, how well you feed your guests, we just sang (LSB #642).

Which seems like a no brainer! And yet, somehow, our brains get in the way! Isaiah’s words to the people then hit home for us still today when he says that with all this, 

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

It’s a good question. Why do we keep looking for better? Why do we keep striving for more? Why do we think this not enough? Yes, enjoy the things of this world and life that God has given you, but remember that your life doesn’t come from them. It can’t. You may be successful, you may be admired, you may be happy, you may be living’ the dream! But what happens when you need something money can’t buy? When these things you gave your life for can’t give you the life you need? When sickness or age begins to sap your life or pounces upon you in a moment? Or when death draws near? What then?

This was Paul’s struggle with his fellow Jews, as we heard in the Epistle today. He says: Guys! What are you doing? You have the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the law, the worship, the promises, the patriarchs, and from you has come the Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour! The one promised to Abraham, and then to Isaac and Jacob, has come. Why are you turning away? Why? The price has been paid. There is food and drink for you. Jesus died and rose for you. There is life for you. 

And it is all here for you, too. 

So maybe it would be good to take stock of our own lives . . . How are you spending your time? . . . And isn’t that an interesting way to say that? Spending your time! Like we spend money! And to get what? Your effort, your time, your money . . . Are you being wise or foolish? Are you trying to get, to buy, what Jesus has already purchased and gotten for you? Do you think Jesus is just about the next life, but this life is up to me? Can those two be separated? 

Jesus went out to that desolate place to give the people what they needed. He led them to that place of nothingness to give them everything. To give them Himself. That’s why He came into our world. That’s why He comes to you here and now. That’s why Jesus is still today taking, blessing, breaking, and giving bread. That all who feast now, feast with Him forever. Feasting now for the forgiveness we need, the life we need, the salvation we need. All here for you. That when this life is over, we feast and delight ourselves in Him in His kingdom. 

So come! All you who are thirsty. All you who hunger. All you poor sinners who have nothing for God, come, buy and eat! He paid for you. That’s what He spent all He had on! He gave all He had for you.

So come. And as Isaiah also said, listen. And listening, hear. And hearing, believe. Believe those words you hear after receiving that for which you did not pay. That the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ - that purchased you and gave you life - will keep and preserve you - now! - steadfast unto everlasting life. So that you can depart - both this altar and this life - well fed, and in peace.

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