Thanks for the Milestone!

According to sitemeter.com, this blog has been visited just over 50,000 times - 50,784 to be exact (at this writing). Not bad, I suppose, for being up and running for just over a year now. (Actually, I don't know how that relates to other blogs, but, hey, I appreciate it.)

So, thank *you* very much for reading (and for checking back in recent days and weeks when I haven't posted as much - a bad habit I hope to overcome soon)! I couldn't have done it without you, the readers. :-)

Homily - Trinity 22

My homily from this past Sunday:

Unlimited Forgiveness
Matthew 18:21-35

During World War II a young Nazi officer lay dying in a Polish hospital. He wanted to confess his horrible actions, be forgiven, and die in peace. So he asked a nurse to bring a Jewish man to his bedside. When the Jewish man arrived, he listened to the soldier’s confession. The soldier confessed how he had herded Jewish people into a house, set gasoline cans inside, and then ignited them with hand grenades. The soldier also recalled how he gave orders to shoot a father and a daughter when they tried to escape. “We shoot,” he cried, “oh, God…I shall never forget it…it haunts me. Please forgive me and let me die in peace.” The man got up and left the room without saying a word. Later some rabbis confirmed this man’s actions and wrote this: “Whoever is merciful to the cruel will end up being indifferent to the innocent…. Let the SS man die unforgiven. Let him go to hell.” (Concordia Pulpit Resources, 9:4, p. 10). Ouch!

Jesus, though, has something different to teach us today. Our Lord Jesus calls us to trust His forgiveness so that we will also forgive one another.

In the verses just before our Gospel reading Jesus teaches us to go to our sinning brother, tell him his fault, and seek to gain him back in forgiveness. Peter was listening carefully and catching on. His newfound insight led him to ask a question: “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

Now Peter was being very gracious and generous. Writings from Jewish rabbis around that time show that the going rate for forgiving someone was three times. After that, a person ought to know better. So Peter was being very gracious. He doubled the going rate and added one more forgiving act for good measure. After all, “seven” is the Biblical number of completeness.

Our sinful flesh always wants to put limits on forgiveness. We also ask Peter’s question: “How often shall I forgive?” Sometimes we might even ask it this way: “How often to I have to forgive?” Too often there’s no sweeter sound to our sin-clogged ears than, “Don’t get mad; get even.” We don’t want to appear weak or soft on crime, and we certainly don’t want to be “taken advantage of.”

Oh, to be sure, forgiveness is very laudable – in the right situation. I remember when Pope John Paul II forgave the man who tried to assassinate him. He was applauded for his graciousness. But then again, John Paul was considered a “man of God”—as such he’s supposed to be more forgiving than most. We also hear talk of forgiveness after school shootings such as Columbine several years ago. But then again, the evil shooters took their own lives, and we don’t have to look them in the eye anymore. Still, we, along with Peter, like to ask, “Isn’t there a limit to my forgiveness?”

However, Jesus answered Peter this way: “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” It really doesn’t matter how you do the math – is it 77 times, or 490 times? – Jesus is teaching us to live and practice unlimited forgiveness. And His parable gives the reason why. A certain king forgives a servant, but the servant can’t forgive his fellow servant.

Yes, let’s consider the enormous, massive, infinite debt of our own sins. Augustus Toplady wrote a well-known hymn. You know it. “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure: Cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r” (LSB 761:1).

How much guilt and power does our infinite debt of sin have? Mr. Toplady did some calculating. In 1775 he was “inspired” by the national debt. (Yes, there was one back then too!) Toplady wanted to show how a sinner’s debt can never be repaid. Since we sinners sin in all we do, he said, “Let’s say people sin once every second.” Yes, you heard correctly: one sin per second.

Let’s crunch the numbers. That adds up to 3600 sins per hour and 86,400 sins per day. Each year it adds up to 31,536,000 sins. When we can first drive a car, at age 16, we’d carry 504,576,000 sins on our record. When we’re 30 years old, enjoying family times with our children, we’d lug around 946,080,000 sins. When we’re 50 years old, the children are grown and the house is empty, our conscience would be overloaded with 1,576,800,000 sins. And when we reach 80, getting ready for the end of life, we’d have have to wrestle with 2,522,880,000 sins. Wow!

What’s the point? Our debt of sin is infinite. We cannot even begin to pay it back, no matter how many times we promise to “do better.”

But here’s the good news. There is forgiveness for our infinite debt of sins. As God told His Old Testament people: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her… that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins” (Is. 40:1-2).

Yes, double – double forgiveness – for all sins! Jesus has more forgiveness than you’ve got sins for. No matter what your debt is, Jesus paid it and forgives it—“not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood, and with His innocent suffering and death.” The king in Jesus’ parable absorbed the loss of the servant’s “gazillion” dollar debt. In the same way, Jesus Himself, our King and Savior, has absorbed the debt of our sin. He did not demand justice. He did not hold a grudge. He simply absorbed it, paid it Himself, and forgives. Unlimited forgiveness.

This is what our Baptism tells us. Our infinite debt is washed away. This is the infinite mercy of God that drives us to our pastor to confess our sins and hear the words of Jesus’ forgiveness. And when we eat and drink Christ’s Body and Blood, we receive Jesus’ even more infinite forgiveness.

Now we can consider the debt of our neighbor’s sins. In Jesus’ parable this debt seems large—a paycheck for three month’s work. But compared to the massive debt of billions of dollars, it’s nothing. This is the way to view our neighbor’s sins against us. Yes, our fellow Christians sin against us, disappoint us, anger us, even offend us. But what is that debt compared to how we have sinned against God? Honestly, it’s nothing. It’s a mere speck in our brother’s eye compared to the 2 x 8 plank sticking out of our own eye.

St. Paul said it well: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3:12-14).

It really is a matter of faith toward God as well as love for our neighbor. If we cannot forgive our brother or sister, then we really have not trusted God when He revealed our infinite debt of sin. It also means that we don’t trust God’s forgiveness that comes through His beloved Son. You see, God also gives that same forgiveness to our neighbor. If God forgives him or her, why can’t we?

But God does forgive our neighbor. And so the best thing we can do for our neighbor who sins against us—whether a loved one, a friend, a co-worker, a fellow member at church—is to give your forgiveness too. That’s how our neighbor can see God’s forgiveness in action.

You see, the Church is the Body of Christ. As Christ forgives us, we also get to forgive each other. Jesus doesn’t want His body members to harm each other by not forgiving. No, He wants the same forgiveness that He gives to flow through His whole Body. When we trust and rely on Jesus’ forgiveness for us, we can also freely forgive each other and trust that Jesus has forgiven our neighbor as much as He has forgiven us.

Keep this in your mind and heart as you come to the Lord’s Table today. Jesus places His forgiveness into your mouths in the same Body and Blood that carried your infinite debt of sins to the Cross. He unites you to Himself and restores you to His image as one who forgives. Your hands and mouths that receive Christ’s Body and Blood may also speak and show His forgiveness to others. Amen.

Homily - Trinity 21

Do We Really Believe God’s Word?
John 4:46-54

It’s very hard to believe God’s Word, and I mean really believe it. Just ask the nobleman from Capernaum. He had heard about Jesus turning water into wine at Cana. He had heard about Jesus miraculously healing other people, and he wanted just such a miracle. His son was feverish and almost to the point of death. But would he really believe God’s Word?

Or would the nobleman believe the miracle over the Word? Jesus had to call him to the carpet for his trust in “signs and wonders.” “Unless you see signs and wonders,” He told the nobleman and us, “you will not believe.” You see, “signs and wonders” are for the weak in faith, for those whose faith can handle only milk but not meat. Yet Jesus still wants to help the nobleman, and us, grow in believing Him, the Word of God in the flesh.

It’s amazing how a personal tragedy or hardship in life turns us to the Word who is Jesus. But do we really believe God’s Word in the flesh? Perhaps we are like the nobleman, who needed proof before he could believe.

Perhaps we are like Thomas, who needed to see Jesus and put His fingers into Jesus’ wounds before he would believe. Every year on the Sunday after Easter we get to hear about Thomas. Jesus first appeared to ten of His disciples, but Thomas was absent. And he would not believe the Word that the others later proclaimed to him until he saw and touched Jesus in the flesh. The next Sunday, Jesus did appear to Thomas of the weak faith, and He did grant Thomas his request. Then Jesus also said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (Jn. 20:29).

Or perhaps we are like Elijah, who expected to see and hear God in the loud wind, or in the earthquake, or in the raging fire. But God was not in those things. No, Elijah heard God in the “still small voice” (1 Kgs. 19:12). Sure, God certainly allows and sends natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, so that we might turn from our self-centered thoughts and ways. He even allows and sends economic downturns so that we might repent and trust Him for every need. But He speaks to us in the still small voice of His Word, especially in the Word made flesh, Jesus the Son of God.

Do we really believe God’s Word? Or would we rather look for things that are much more monumental or tangible? Would we rather seek God’s love for us in what looks good and successful? Perhaps preaching the Gospel and giving out the Holy Sacraments don’t seem to do their job anymore. Perhaps we’d rather see the capacity crowds and even standing room only in the church. Perhaps we’d rather see the “faith healer” do his or her work to the applause of cheering and adoring crowds.

But if we want these things, we’ll have to be ready for the consequences. When we need the healing and don’t get it, we’ll be told, “Well, you don’t have enough faith. You need to read your Bible more and pray harder. Come back when you have enough faith, and then we’ll see what we can do for you.”

Notice that the nobleman’s faith grows beyond wanting mere signs and wonders. He persists. He says, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” He wanted more than a miracle; he wanted the Lord Jesus to help him. He knew and trusted that only the Word of God in human flesh could give life. But would he really believe this Word? It seems that he would not be satisfied until Jesus dropped what He was doing and made a personal visit to Capernaum.

Again, you and I are like this nobleman. Perhaps we get past the immature need for “signs and wonders,” but we still want to tell God how to do His job of being God. Perhaps we think that God must immediately heal us of the disease or injury that we have. Doesn’t He know how it will get in the way of daily life? Perhaps we try to convince God to remove the family trial that we’re going through. Doesn’t He know that it’s torture? Perhaps we think that God must immediately rescue us from our economic downturn. Doesn’t He know that we desperately need that wealth?

But Jesus will not be dethroned from His place as God’s eternal Word of love and life for us. The nobleman begs for Jesus to come to his home, but Jesus says, “I’ll do something even better. I won’t come to your home, but I will heal and give life back to your son.” “Go your way; your son lives.” That’s it! Just a word. It’s all the nobleman had to go on. As one preacher once said, “The nobleman went home with only a word in his pocket.” Would he really believe that Word?

As the nobleman went home, his servants met him on the way. They told him that his son had recovered. He asked, “At what time?” They said, “Yesterday at about 1 PM.” The nobleman knew that was the time that Jesus had said, “Your son lives.” So, really, two people are cured here—the young lad who was sick and almost dead, and his father who fought the disease of unbelief. “He himself believed, and all his household.”

Do we really believe God’s Word? Do we really trust this Man who brings life into this world of death? You see, Jesus comes to heal us here today. If we’re honest, we really don’t trust the Holy Spirit to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the whole Christian Church on earth and keep it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith, at least not as we should. Truth be told, we want to add all kinds of “signs and wonders”—whether they are outward signs of success or inward wonderful feelings. Somehow, we think, that will give the Spirit a nudge.

But Jesus knows how to heal and give life. You see, God does not hate us or His creation. In fact, He longs to be in communion with us. Even though we are sick in our sin, sick to the point of death—like the nobleman’s son—He still loves us and wants to heal us. That’s why He sends His only-begotten Son into the flesh. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him” (1 Jn. 4:9). Jesus took our sickness of sin and death upon Himself. He took upon Himself the punishment and wrath that we deserved. And when He died on the cross, He trampled death to death. When He came forth from the grave victorious, He burst a big hole in death’s belly. Now sickness and death have no more dominion over us. Oh, sure, we’re all bound to catch a virus now and then, sometimes even contract a deadly disease. But those things cannot separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus. Now we get to live!

That’s the Word that we get to hear over and over again. Just as Jesus told the nobleman, “Your son lives,” He also tells us: “You now live.” And notice how Jesus tells us this—through His Word. So, do we really believe His Word? In the face of our daily struggles, we can certainly believe the Word that comes to us here in the Divine Service. We can certainly believe what Jesus says to us through Holy Scripture, through the Word read from the lectern and proclaimed from the pulpit. As Jesus said, “Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (Jn. 5:24).

And this same Jesus, this same Word in the flesh, also says: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn. 6:53-54). Let that be the Word in our pocket, the Word that we can truly believe, the Word that says, “You live, because you eat and drink Me!”

No, we don’t need to look for signs and wonders of a man-made variety. We have the divine wonders of Jesus the Word. We have His signs called Sacraments. When times get rough, when illness and death strike, these gifts from God sustain us and strengthen us. After all, Jesus comes to tell us, “You now live.” And, yes, we can really believe it. Amen.

Homily - Trinity 20 - Midweek

Here's my homily from our midweek Divine Service this past Wednesday, complete with a most interesting modern depiction of the parable and a picture of the grapevine that goes around the reredos at Hope's altar (mentioned toward the end of the homily).

Inheritance from the Vineyard
Matthew 21:33-46

“This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.” Such cruel, vicious words, and yet it had to happen. And let’s thank God it happened.

When Jesus tells this Parable of the Tenants, He summarizes the whole story of the Bible, and He lets us in on the real purpose of His journey into our world and taking on our flesh and blood. You see, the tenants certainly wanted the vineyard for themselves, but they did not at all want a relationship with the vineyard Owner. Sounds like all of humanity after Adam and Eve fell into sin. Especially sounds like the nation of Israel when they were comfortable and prosperous in the Promised Land. They thought that they could run the vineyard just fine without the Owner. They thought that they could live life on their terms, under their control.

So when the vineyard Owner sent His servants, the prophets, the tenants did not like the reminder. Those servants reminded the tenants that the vineyard did not belong to them. They reminded them that they did not belong to themselves. And that was pretty uncomfortable! And how did they deal with that unsettling discomfort? Beat and kill the messengers. Pretend nothing happened. Continue thinking that they could live life on their terms.

Then the vineyard Owner sent His Son. “They will respect my son,” He said. No, He was not being naïve or ignorant. He full well knew that those wicked tenants would kill His Son. But He also wanted to confront them with what they should have done from the beginning—respect His Son; live life in a loving relationship with Him; fear, love, and trust in Him above all things, especially above themselves.

But the tenants saw a self-serving opportunity. Kill the Son, and they could have the inheritance all to themselves. Throw the Son out of the vineyard as if they were throwing out the trash. Little did they know that the inheritance would indeed come by killing the Son! How ironic.

And what was the vineyard Owner looking for all this time? The fruit from the vineyard. And what is that fruit? Faith—faith that wants to be in a relationship with the vineyard Owner, God Himself. Faith that says, “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:8).

There’s just one major, uncomfortable thing about that faith, though. It means that we must die to ourselves. We must kill not the Son, but our own egos that say, “It’s my life; I can do with it what I want.” How hard that is!

It’s so hard that the Son of God freely and willingly took our death upon Himself. He was thrown out of the vineyard and nailed to the cross in the garbage heap called Golgotha. But when He was tossed out like rubbish on the garbage heap, He brought life and immortality to light. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” He suffered rejection and death and He rose again victorious to change us wicked tenants into loyal sons and daughters of the God who has always loved us. If anything, this parable shows just how God continues to love and forgive us even though we repeatedly reject Him in our doubts and unbelief. This is the Lord’s doing—loving us sinners—and it is marvelous in our eyes.

It is so marvelous that we can say with St. Paul: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.” Yes, this Son who was killed for the inheritance really does give us the inheritance of God’s vineyard in His death and resurrection. And that puts all of life in a new and different perspective.

If you’ve been paying any attention to the news the past few weeks, you know how our nation’s economy has fallen on hard times. Perhaps you’ve even lost some of what you set aside for your retirement. Do not fear. You still have your inheritance of Jesus Christ and His forgiveness, life, and salvation. We can indeed count all things loss, especially our persistence in living life on our terms. You see, when we don’t have the Son of God, we really don’t have anything. But when we have Christ Jesus, we have more than we can imagine—life with our loving God, communion with our vineyard Owner, mercy and forgiveness for wanting to be in charge of all of life. As St. Paul says elsewhere, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

In our Baptism, we are joined to the Son who was killed in order get the inheritance. When we die to ourselves and rise again in the life of Jesus, we receive His eternal “retirement plan.” And when we come to the Lord’s Table, we once again see how marvelous the Lord’s doing is in our eyes … and in our mouths. The very Body and Blood that was thrown out of the vineyard as rubbish is truly our treasure and delight. It’s the only source of real life.

When you come to the Lord’s Table this evening, take a look at the wooden reredos behind the altar. Notice what goes each side and across the top—a vine with grapes on it. Yes, here in this Holy Meal, we are restored to life in God’s vineyard. Here we are strengthened in the fruit that God looks for—faith in Him, in the Son He sends into the world, and in the Holy Spirit who gives us life. So come, and leave behind your desires and ways of living without God, the vineyard Owner. Come, and receive your inheritance. Amen.

Prolonged Depression?

Yes, I'll admit it: the economy is on my mind a lot lately. As do many, I wonder what's going to happen next, what it will mean for people's retirement, what it will mean for all of us in general, from day to day. Are we heading for another recession? A depression? A prolonged depression? Will any of us have any money left, either in retirement funds or in daily operating checkbooks? (No, I'm not trying to sound "doom and gloom"; just trying to echo the thoughts that seem to be so prevalent.)

Mostly I wonder how all of this "economic downturn" may effect the Church, particularly in terms of folks coming to the Divine Service to discover or relearn where their true meaning and purpose in life is, namely, in Jesus Christ and His life and salvation. Difficult economic times could very well bode well for the Church, because, after all, the golden calves of our humming, ever-growing economy and our super-soaring social status based on material wealth sure seem to be biting the dust. Only time will tell, of course, how things will turn out. Only our Triune God and Savior can truly provide for what we really need, regardless of how much money we may or may not have.

In the meantime, perhaps we can learn a little something from history. We might wonder if we could ever get ourselves into another "Great Depression." Some say, "Yes, we could"; others say, "No, we have too many correctives in place these days." But you might be interested in this article from "MoneyNews.com".

According to two UCLA economists (yes, "left coast"!), it would appear that FDR's policies, usually credited with rescuing the nation from the Depression's destruction, may very well have prolonged the early 20th century economic downturn. I had to take a little time to wade through the statistical details in the article, but I also find it helpful to look at this historical event from a different perspective. I hope you will too. Here's the article's concluding paragraph to spur you on to read the whole thing:

"The fact that the Depression dragged on for years convinced generations of economists and policy-makers that capitalism could not be trusted to recover from depressions and that significant government intervention was required to achieve good outcomes," Cole said. "Ironically, our work shows that the recovery would have been very rapid had the government not intervened."

Certainly gives another healthy serving of food for thought regarding our most recent governmental interventions in economic bailouts/rescue packages, doesn't it?

Who Says?

We keep hearing Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and his political allies place the mess of the failed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--government-run mortgage companies--at the feet of "deregulation." Then, either by subtle insinuation or overt accusation, Sen. Obama and his cronies tell us that those "wascally Wepublicans" (my Elmer Fudd-esque term) are the culprits behind the "deregulation" of Fannie and Freddy.

But who was really trying to warn and regulate and who was truly stonewalling and putting the brakes on regulation? Let their own words answer that:

The Heart of the Financial Matter

The U.S. financial crisis has been front and center in the news and in discussions at the water cooler, to be sure. It's amazing how a singular vote in the House of Representatives--on whether or not the U.S. Government should spend $700 Billion of taxpayer money to buy bad mortgages--can grab our attention and the headlines. It's also fascinating to observe folks who normally don't give Wall Street the time of day perk up when it takes a nose dive of almost 800 points. As of this writing, however, it appears that Wall Street, contrary to yesterday's dire predictions, recouped almost 500 of those points in what looks like a pretty good day.

What's really going on, in the recent vote, in the Wall Street roller coaster ride, and in the pocket books on "Main Street" (to use the current politically fashionable word)? I won't pretend to be an economist, let alone to have grand answers, but I will pass on for your consideration some dispassionate explanation of what seems to be happening before our very eyes.

What is happening? It appears to be a tug 0f war between two vying economic systems: capitalism and socialism. That, it appears to me, is the real heart of the matter being played out in New York City, Washington, D.C., in the nation's headlines, and in the presidential campaign.

How can it be dispassionate in this time of highly charged emotions and over the top rhetoric? Because this was written in 1995 by Dr. David Noebel, a noted Christian apologist, in his book Understanding the Times: The Religious Worldviews of Our Day and the Search for Truth.

What Noebel has to offer won't put money in our pockets, ease our tax burden, set politicians straight, bring greedy CEOs to justice, or clean up the economic mess. But I hope that his words will help us understand what's happening before our eyes and inform us as we vote for the good of all people in our nation come November 4.

Here's Dr. Noebel:

We began our analysis of capitalism and socialism by noting that capitalism trusts the free market while socialism requires centralized control. From this most fundamental difference between the two systems springs a number of ramifications, including the counterproductive bureaucracies created by the welfare system in the United States. Because socialism requires a planned economy, including control over wealth, distribution, pricing, and production, it also requires a powerful central government to initiate the plans. As P.T. Bauer points out, "Attempts to minimize economic differences in an open and free society necessarily involve the use of coercive power." [P.T. Bauer, Equality, the Third World, and Economic Delusion (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981), p. 18] Thus, the socialist must rely upon increased political power to achieve his goals of economic equality and a planned economy.

In a capitalist system, in contrast, far less political power is necessary, because the government need not worry about controlling incomes, prices, or production. Citizens are free to determine how they will spend their money and how they will use their resources.

Clearly, there is a relationship between the type of economy a society chooses and the amount of freedom the individual must sacrifice. In a socialist society, the individual must relinquish to the government much of the control over his life. "The only way to arrive at equal fruits is to equalize behavior," says Beisner; "and that requires robbing men of liberty, making them slaves." [E. Calvin Beisner, Prosperity and Poverty: The Compassionate Use of Resources in a World of Scarcity (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1988), p. 54] Economic freedom and the right to private property are crucial for political freedom. (Understanding the Times, p. 330-31)

What's at the heart of our current U.S. financial crisis? It would appear to be a wrestling match between capitalism and socialism. Only time, perhaps measured only in months and years, will tell which one will (or has) become dominant. But it seems prudent to bear Dr. Noebel's words in mind as we listen to, watch, and read news reports about our financial crisis. I pray that keeping this "big picture," the principles of the matter, in mind will help us citizens be informed on what's happening and speak up, especially to our elected representatives.

After all, such matters do affect us in the Church and how we can confess the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Homily - St. Michael and All Angels

I cannot believe that I actually passed up the chance to preach on St. Michael's day, but I could tell that Mr. Louis Boldt really wanted a chance preach on this great day of hearing God's teaching on angels, especially the story of St. Michael. As you can see from the following sermon, Louis did a very fine job as he took the task of preaching an "image-based" sermon, doing a masterful job of describing the picture (shown here) to which he refers throughout the sermon. You can learn more about the picture here: http://www.artilim.com/artist/david-gerard/altarpiece-of-st-michael.aspx .
Here's Louis' homily:

Today we are observing the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, which occurs tomorrow. September 29 is the day that the Church has set aside to acknowledge and honor the role of St. Michael and all angels in God’s created order. Today’s sermon will focus specifically on the work of St. Michael. While St. Michael is only mentioned five times in the Bible: 3 times in our Old Testament reading, once in our Epistle reading, and once in the Book of Jude, these sections of Scripture tell us quite a bit about his role in God’s creation. While many artists over the centuries have used these sections of Scripture for inspiration, there is a 16th century painting by Gerard David that expresses St. Michael’s work and his role in God’s creation in a unique way.

When you look at this painting, your eyes are drawn to its center where you see St. Michael standing on the ground with outstretched wings. Wings that almost span the entire width of the painting. Wings that almost span the entire height of the painting. And as we gaze at this larger than life image, we see that he is wearing a gown of the finest silk. Silk that is the color of the sky on a cloudless, summer day. A gown held in place with gold rope across his chest and cinctured around his waist.

And overlying this silk gown, St. Michael wears a cloak made from the softest and choicest of velvets. Its interior color is the warmest charcoal gray and the exterior color is the richest burgundy. Trimmed with intricate, gold filigree and held in place by a large gold medallion. A cloak so long that it drapes across the ground around him. And we are reminded of Daniel’s vision from our Old Testament reading. A vision that promises that Michael, a great prince, one of the chief princes, will arise and deliver the people from their trouble, trouble like there has never been before. And then we notice the shield in St. Michael’s left hand and the spear in his upraised right hand. And we know that this great prince does not come to deliver the people with a peace treaty. He comes to deliver them by waging war.

And as we look at the spear in St. Michael’s, we notice that he is looking down toward the ground and our eyes are drawn to that part of the painting. And as they focus on the ground at St. Michael’s feet, we see seven hideous, demonic creatures struggling to get out from underneath him and flee away. Creatures that have an other worldly appearance with horns, fangs and claws. Some bear a resemblance to animals, while others have a disturbingly human appearance.

And as we gaze upon this epic struggle between St. Michael and these demonic creatures, we notice other figures behind St. Michael up in the sky. And when we look more closely, we witness an on-going battle. A battle between angels in sky blue, silk gowns and demonic creatures like those at St. Michael’s feet. And we remember John’s vision from our Epistle reading, the vision of St. Michael and his angels battling the great dragon and his angels. St. Michael and his angels are victorious. They cast them out of heaven and throw them down to the earth.

Now this may or may not surprise you, but most people don’t believe that Satan is real. Most people believe that Satan is just a symbol for evil. He is just a symbol that people use to explain the bad things that happen in the world. A symbol to blame for all the bad things that people do. But they are wrong, very wrong. Now, I have never met Satan nor could I point him out in a crowd, but I know he exists. I know that he is real. I know because there is evil in the world. I know because behind every evil act is the agent of evil. The Devil. The Ancient Serpent. The great dragon. And that is how we see him. We see him through his works, through his temptations to sin. And this is what Gerard David is depicting in his painting entitled St. Michael Defeats the Seven Deadly Sins. Those seven demons underneath St. Michael’s feet represent the seven deadly sins.

And these sins are evidence of Satan’s work among us. Satan tempts us with LUST. He tempts us to take that lingering, second look. He tempts us to fantasize about that person we saw. He tempts us to act out our fantasies with that person.

Satan tempts us with GLUTTONY. He tempts us to eat one more dessert; after all, the first one was so good. He tempts us to eat out more often than we eat at home, just because we can. He tempts us to get our money’s worth at the all you can eat buffet; after all, we paid for it.

Satan tempts us with GREED. He tempts us with the latest and the greatest cell phone, game system, or plasma screen TV the market has to offer. Even if we already have one; after all, the new one can do some things that the old one just can’t do. He tempts us to replace our car with a new model - sure our car runs great, but it is getting old. He tempts us to work longer hours and take on more jobs to make more money; after all, we need to save for our retirement.

Satan tempts us with SLOTH. He tempts to spend less time on a project than we should; after all, we can cut a few corners and get it done more quickly. He tempts us to do our volunteer work in a half-hearted way; after all, we are not getting paid to do it. He tempts us to sleep in and skip Bible Study class; after all, that’s not as important as the worship service.

Satan tempts us with WRATH. He tempts us to lash out in anger because we didn’t get our way. He tempts us to get back at the other person; after all, they started it. He tempts us to get in the “first word” because we know they are going to attack us.

Satan tempts us with ENVY. He tempts us to think ill thoughts about a sibling because they always get what they want. He tempts us to think ill thoughts about a co-worker who got the promotion instead of us. He tempts us to think ill thoughts about another family because everything always seems to go their way.

Satan tempts us with PRIDE. He tempts us to boast about the things that we have done. He tempts us to withhold compliments even though they are warranted. He tempts us to disregard people’s attempts at correction; after all, that doesn’t apply to me.

And as we take in this epic battle scene between St. Michael and his angels and Satan and his minions, we notice the golden hue of sunlight breaking through the clouds at the top of the painting. And as our eyes are drawn toward that glorious light, we notice a figure within the light. A figure dressed in the finest of silk gowns. A figure wearing a cloak made from the softest and choicest of velvets. A crimson red cloak that matches the color of the underlying gown. Crimson red like the color of blood flowing from an open wound. As we look closely at this figure, we see that He is wearing a many tiered, golden crown on his head and carrying a royal scepter in His left hand. And we realize this is The King, The King who reigns in heaven above. We realize that the King of Kings is overseeing this battle. And then we remember John’s words from our Epistle reading, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, ... they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony...”

And we realize that the battle that St. Michael and his angels are waging against Satan and his minions was already won. It was a battle won when the very Son of God came down from heaven above. To take on human flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. It was a battle won by Jesus, the Christ, when he lived a life under the law. To fulfill the law for those who could not. It was a battle won on a cursed tree at Golgatha. When Jesus Christ shed his blood and gave His life to pay for the sins of the entire world. To pay for your sins and for my sins. It was a battle won in an empty tomb on Easter morning. When Christ Jesus overcame death itself by rising from dead. It was a battle won when Christ ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of His Father. Where He received the power, authority and dominion over all of creation. It was a battle won when the Son of God enacted the full and complete kingdom of God.

And the great news for us, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is that we are part of this kingdom of God. We were brought into this kingdom of God through the waters of our baptism. We heard the Word of God. We received the sign of the cross on our foreheads and upon our hearts. We were baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the waters of our baptism, we were clothed with Christ as we were baptized into His death and resurrection. To receive forgiveness for our sins and to rescue us from death and the devil. And we live our lives looking forward to Christ’s glorious return at the end of this present evil age. An age where the devil lives and walks among us, prowling like a roaring lion. Looking for people to devour because he knows his time is short. An age where Satan seeks to pull us away from God by tempting us with the seven deadly sins.

And if we were left alone to face these temptations, we would surely succumb and be lost forever. But we are not alone. God has given us the Holy Spirit in the waters of our baptism to help us. God is at work within each of us through the power of the Holy Spirit to face these temptations and overcome them. Our faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit enable us to resist Lust and instead practice CHASTITY. To practice TEMPERANCE and resist Glutttony. To resist Greed and instead practice CHARITY. To practice DILIGENCE and resist Sloth. ..... To resist Wrath and instead practice PATIENCE. To practice KINDNESS and resist Envy. To resist Pride and instead practice HUMILITY.

And when we succumb to the temptations of the Devil, Jesus does not forsake us or leave us, He forgives us. When we confess our sins to God our Father, it is Jesus, Himself, who forgives our sins in the words of Absolution. When we come to the rail burned with guilt over our sins, it is Jesus, Himself, who says, “Take, eat, this is My body given for you” “Take, drink, this is My blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” And it is Jesus, Himself, who promises “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Amen.

Back to our roots, for economics too

Check out this article by Chuck Norris on the current financial mess and meltdown in our nation. It would appear that Norris is quite savvy about more than just karate and acting; he may just have something to say in our economic/political climate, and that by returning to the fathers of our nation's past. Actually, it sounds pretty common sense to me, but then again I, like most Americans, am a "Washington outsider."

Homily - Trinity 18 Midweek

God’s Sense of Fairness
Wednesday of Trinity 18 (A-Prop. 20)
Isaiah 55:6-9; Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30; Matthew 20:1-16

“That’s not right!” “It’s just not fair!” How many times we’ve heard and said those words, or words much like them! We have a pretty good sense of fairness, of justice, of right and wrong – or so we tell ourselves. But what do we do when our sense of fair play butts heads with God’s? What do we do when we lock horns with God over things we think are right and just?

After all, our first reading reminds us that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. And if we want to talk about fairness, how fair was it that St. Paul served time in prison, and had to write his letter to the Philippian church from prison, just for confessing Jesus Christ and His Gospel of life and forgiveness? And what about that Gospel reading? A master pays all of his servants a whole day’s wage, even though only a minority of them actually worked the whole day? How fair is that—those who worked only one hour, let alone three, or six, or nine hours, received a whole day’s pay for twelve hours of work?

We often turn our sense of fair play loose on tragedies and circumstances in life. How fair is it that so many people had to flee for their lives and end up losing so much when Hurricane Ike smashed into Texas? Or when it’s remnants caused flooding in our area two weekends ago? It’s just not fair, we say, that some companies have recently crashed and burned as they’ve gone broke, but some of their CEOs float away in “golden parachutes” of millions of dollars. Or perhaps we look at the things we must endure individually and cry, “Not fair; not right!” Perhaps we focus on an illness we have or that a loved one has. Perhaps we want to defend our children or our spouse or our friend from unfair treatment. The list could go on.

What should we do? Maybe we should reexamine and reevaluate our sense of fairness and our notions of right and wrong.

I remember when I was a young lad and I would do one of those five-point headstands. You know, when both hands and both feet are on the floor, but so is your head and you’re looking upside down at things in the living room. Or I might do one of those hanging off the edge of the couch moves. You know, when your legs and backside are on the couch cushion, but your head hangs down, upside down, almost touching the floor. When I would do such silly things, I also remember thinking, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if we could walk on the ceiling?” There was only one problem with that, or so I thought. When we had to go through a doorway, we’d have to really step up high to avoid the real top of the door.

Now, of course, that sounds silly, and it was. After all, I was looking at things upside down. The real problem was looking at things upside down. Real life—real walking around—doesn’t happen upside down on the ceiling at all.

That, I believe, is what our sense of fairness and our notions of right and wrong often are before God—rather upside down and in need of readjusting because of our sin and death. You see, when we cry out that something’s unfair or not right, too often we do so without God in the picture. Too often we think that we matter most, or that we should be in charge of the world and our individual lives. Or, worse yet, we even blame God for the unfair things that happen. “How could a loving God let that tragedy happen?”

But let’s remember what Isaiah says in our first reading: “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Yes, the Lord God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has compassion and abundantly pardons. He wants us, and all people, to seek Him while He makes Himself found in His grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. In that way we might realize that even the tragedies of hurricanes, flooding, financial meltdowns, and our various personal troubles, are really meant to drive us to Him.

Let’s remember how St. Paul comforts us and models the Christian faith for us. He could say that even his imprisonment was “for Christ” and that Christ would be honored in his body. He could boldly say, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” because Christ had died for him. This same Jesus, the Son of God, has lived and died for us. His suffering brings us peace. His death brings us life. His blood brings us eternal forgiveness for our many doubts about God and His goodness. His love reorients our sense of fairness to receive His mercy and grace always. Redeemed and loved by this Jesus Christ, we can look at all of life with new lenses. All things work to lead us back to our compassionate, forgiving God. All things work together for good for those who love God.

And let’s also remember our Gospel reading. The master was not unfair when he gave the last workers the same day’s pay as he promised the first workers. You see, he did keep his promise to pay the first workers a full day’s wage. The problem comes not from the master, but from the first workers and their sense of “fairness.” They thought fairness meant getting paid by the hour and only for what a person can earn by hard work through the heat of the day. The master, though, had a different way of thinking. His thoughts were higher than their thoughts. He decided to be extra lavish and overly generous. He chose to give everyone a full day’s wage, no matter how many hours they had worked.

Dear friends, that master is the perfect picture of our Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We expect Him to act within the bounds of our sense of fairness, even as we look upside down at Him and our life with Him. But, truthfully and thankfully, He has a different sense of fairness. No, His sense of fairness is not arbitrary or capricious. Rather, His sense of fairness is right side up. That’s what our Lord Jesus shows us on the cross and in His resurrection. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might by saved through Him” (Jn. 3:16-17). Master God pays all of us the “day’s wage” of His mercy, forgiveness, and love. Everything in life—even our life itself, even the bad things as well as the good things—is a gift from the Savior who loves us enough to die and rise again for us.

Things may not seem “fair” in this fallen world of ours. But we can be sure and certain that our loving God, our Savior Jesus Christ, has a different sense of fairness. His sense of fairness says, “I love you. I give Myself for you.” So, come, receive Him in His Body and Blood; come, receive His fairness of forgiveness. Amen.