Homily for Advent 4 (Rorate Coeli) - 2019

"Blessed Mother of God"
Luke 1:39-56

“Why is this granted to me,” Elizabeth asked, “that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” We do well to ask the same thing. Why is this granted to us that we should ponder the mother of our God and Savior? We rightly confess that Jesus is the reason for the season, but that reason would not be here without His poor, young virgin mother. And so she is called blessed among women. We do well to join elderly Elizabeth in confessing the blessedness of young Mary. What lies behind Mary being “blessed”? Three things.

First, Mary is blessed in a manner that no one else is. We all are blessed by our Lord’s undeserved mercy, grace and forgiveness, to be sure. But Mary is blessed in a unique way; she is blessed with a unique gift and task. Elizabeth says, “Blessed are you among women,”—blessed more than anyone else. Somehow by the Holy Spirit, old Elizabeth knew and proclaimed this remarkable blessing.

But what did that mean for Mary? And did she understand that this would be a blessing through which other people would be blessed? These two women had come to the focal point and climax of God’s centuries-long plan and promise. As St. Paul would write: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4). God would send His own eternal Son. The Son of God would come among us as any other human being. This is the marvelous, incredible thing that would happen through this young lady, a woman so humble, poor and lowly. This is the first blessing. Other young ladies would probably say, “No thank you! Not for me!” But Mary had said, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38).

What else does it mean that Mary is blessed? Second, it means that she is blessed for our benefit. She is a blessing for us and the world. If none of this had happened, if Jesus had not been born, we would still be in our sins. He existed in eternity, begotten of His Father before all worlds, very God of very God, begotten not made. And now He would be like each of us, true man, sharing our human nature, born of the Virgin Mary.

So Elizabeth asks, “Why is this granted to me?” Of course, she was wife of a priest. She was much higher on the social ladder than young Mary. Yet here she honors this young mother of low estate. Why should the mother of her Lord come to her?

The Greek word for “Lord” is kyrios. It also translates the Hebrew name for God, “Yahweh.” “This is God’s mother, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, coming to me,” Elizabeth confesses. And don’t let that term—“God’s mother”—bother you. Jesus is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary. The Greek word used for centuries is theotokos. It means, “God bearer,” or “mother of God,” the Son of God, that is, the Word become flesh. “Mary conceived and bore not merely a man and no more, but God’s true Son. Therefore, she also is rightly called and truly is “the mother of God” (FC Ep VIII:12).

The Son of God took up the very same human nature that Adam had. Now the climactic battle of the great cosmic fight would be fought. Now He would fight against the tempter, Satan. And Satan would try to get rid of this Second Adam just as he successfully got rid of the first one back in the garden.

So Mary is God’s mother. She herself is not God, but she carries God’s Son in her womb and in her heart. But it would be no easy task. She takes on a mother’s duties to love Him, educate Him and nurture Him; feed Him, change His dirty diapers and wipe His runny nose. It would be no easy task, especially in little backwater Nazareth. But she faithfully took it. It was her vocation given by God. When she gave birth to the Son of God, she treasured up all of those events and pondered them in her heart (Lk. 2:19). Then she heard that a sword would pierce her own soul, because her Son was “appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed” (Lk. 2:34). When her Son was twelve years old in Jerusalem, she did not understand why He stayed behind in the temple to listen to teachers and ask them questions (Lk. 2:46). Then Mary had to do the hardest thing a mother can do. She had to stand there all day and look on as His enemies tormented Him, mocked Him, and put Him to death by nailing Him to a cross. That certainly was no easy task. Nor was it glorious. What human being, let alone a caring mother, would say they were privileged to see that?

This, though, is not what made her more blessed than other women. What made her blessed was the fruit of what happened to the Fruit of Mary’s womb. That was the blessing for us and for the whole world. The Son of God took on our human nature to rescue it from sin and death. Our Lord became one of us to redeem and restore each and every one of us. God became man so that we might restored to the image of God.

And now we come to the third thing. How could young Mary be blessed? What made it possible? Elizabeth also proclaimed, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” Belief, or faith—that’s what is greatest about Mary. She teaches us what faith is all about. And what did she believe? She received and believed what the Lord said to her. Belief holds on to what God says no matter how impossible or inconceivable for us humans. “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Lk. 1:37), the angel had told her. The Lord had said it. Mary believed it. “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”(Lk. 1:38). Thus she was blessed.

Now to be blessed is not something that always feels warm and fuzzy. Think of the beatitudes our Lord would teach. Being blessed can mean being poor in spirit, mourning, being humble, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and even being persecuted. All this describes Mary quite well. She was blessed to cling to God and His promises even in the darkness. She was blessed to know His saving will and purpose for her. She was blessed to receive and hold onto His gift of life through the Word made flesh.

This, dear saints, is the greatest message of all—the Gospel that makes no rational sense, the message that the world either ignores or mocks. The Word became flesh, dwelt among us, was crucified and was raised for us sinners, for all sinners. It’s foolishness for some and a stumbling block for others. “But to us who are being saved”—and that includes Mary—“it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).

It happened only once, but it changed all of history. It changes you. It reveals the meaning of your life, so that you may be truly human. God’s Son, born of a woman, placed under the law, faithfully emptying Himself, and being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. That’s Mary’s great blessing, and it’s yours as well. “His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation.” He fills you who are hungry for forgiveness and real life with the good things of His Body and Blood.

Why is this granted to you that the mother of your Lord should come to you? For you to receive Him who comes to you in the flesh; for you to receive Him who comes in water, words, and bread and wine. Mary is blessed to be the mother of God, and by the Fruit of her womb, you are blessed to be His sons and daughters—exalted from your humble estate both now and forever. Amen.

Homily for Advent 3 - 2019

"Shall We Look for Another?"
Matthew 11:2-11

“Shall we look for another?” This is John’s question in today’s Gospel. Many have the same question today. You may have this question at times.

John the Baptizer sat in prison. Was he plagued with doubt? Was he sending his own disciples to follow Jesus instead of him? Perhaps Gregory the Great put his finger on it. Perhaps John was asking something like this: “Since you thought it worthy of yourself to be born for humanity, say whether you will also think it worthy of yourself to die for humanity.” What if John had been wrong? What if Jesus was not the Coming One after all?

If such questions can come from the lips of John the Baptizer, it’s not surprising they can also come from us. Are you the Coming One? Shall we look for another? Is Jesus really the Son of God? Does He really forgive my sins? What will happen when I die? Where will I go?

Can you find answers for such questions? Can you be certain? Certain that Jesus is God’s eternal Son? How can you be certain?

Jesus gives the answer: through hearing and seeing. Notice that Jesus did not answer the question directly. “Go and tell John what you hear and see.” He pointed to His words and deeds. Why didn’t He answer simply and directly? Sometimes the direct, simple answer does not suffice. It may not help a person hear and see that Jesus is God’s Son. It may not lead to or strengthen faith. When a difficult time comes, faith is shaken. You may have a mistaken notion of what it means that Jesus is  God’s Son. That’s what many had in Jesus’ day. They expected the Messiah would be a great, powerful king who would give them political freedom and a guaranteed income. That’s what many thought as they sang their “Hosannas” on Palm Sunday. But then they ended up crying, “Crucify Him!” on Good Friday.

People in our day have their own faulty notions of Jesus. They learn them from other people, through conversation or from online sources. They’ve heard that Jesus is God’s Son. They’ve heard that He’s loving and merciful. They’ve heard that God exists. But then comes the car crash, the cancer diagnosis, the layoff, or the conflict with friend or neighbor. So much for what you had hoped for. Then come the doubts, the frustrations. Now you’re like John sitting in his dark prison. Perhaps the bitterness creeps in. Perhaps it all seems like nonsense. Perhaps you tell yourself, “If God were God, this would never happen.”

The problem is that you have not heard and seen Jesus Himself. Living faith is not built on what you have heard from others. It’s built on what Jesus does for you. It’s built on being in His presence and Jesus working on you. That’s what happens here today. Jesus Himself comes to you in His Word. You hear that Word and say, “That’s for me.” You speak that Word back to Him in prayer.  And He truly comes down to you in Holy Communion.

Now you learn what it truly means that He’s the Son of God. You learn that Jesus is not merely some 9-1-1 rescue team you call upon only when you’re in trouble, when life goes crazy. Life always goes crazy. You see, you don’t have a single day when you have perfectly kept His commandments. Not a single day when you love Him with your whole heart. Not a single day when you love your neighbor as yourself. You have not been clean in heart or life.

But in all of this craziness and chaos, Jesus is the Coming One. He comes to intervene, to live in your flesh, to suffer, die and rise again for you, to pay for your sins. When you believe in Him and cling to Him, all is forgiven. So you need Him not just sometimes, but all the time—24-7-365. Now you know who Jesus is, not just from what others tell you, but because you are one of the poor to whom the Gospel is preached. You are the blind one who receives sight. You are the leprous one cleansed of sin. Now you have heard and seen.

How certain is all of this? Even if you hear and see, even when you learn to know and cling to Jesus, a person can still take offense. Jesus also said, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.” Even John, in his prison, was tempted to be offended. If Jesus is the Coming One, why doesn’t He intervene? Why doesn’t He clean up the mess of my life, the mess of this world? Why does He let all this happen? Why doesn’t He use His power to beat down evil? After all, He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised the dead. But remember this: when the craziness and chaos of sin came upon Him, He let Himself be bound and led away, only to be nailed to a cross.

People around you may scoff at this Jesus. A neighbor may think that the story of Jesus’ Birth and other stories in the Bible are only fables. A coworker may scoff and smirk: “How can you believe all that?” The temptation is to take offense at the apparent weakness of Jesus. A baby in a lowly manger? No place to call home? A king without a throne? A death as a criminal? What did John do when such questions plagued him? He sent some disciples to Jesus. He turned to Jesus for the answers.

But not everyone is that wise. Jesus speaks of a reed shaken by the wind. It’s a picture of those who find their answers based on the opinions and fads of the moment. We can see this in the attempts make Jesus the spokesman for whatever cause of the day. The holy family in cages as refugees? Jesus portrayed in film for the same-sex cause? Jesus also talks about being dressed in soft clothing. This is the picture of those who seem to be secure, sophisticated, and have it all together. But on the inside, they are empty and afraid to go against what’s trendy. How can they take Jesus seriously when He might ask them to go against the wisdom of the time?

So Jesus can be a stumbling block. After all, He does call us to be, think, and live different from the culture and world around us. Is He the Coming One, or should we look for another?

How was John certain? How were the disciples certain? They were certain through the hearing and seeing. Through the words and deeds of Jesus. You also have these words and deeds of Jesus. They’re among us here today. All you need to do is hear and see.

It’s what we proclaim and live as this new church year begins. Christ has come, still comes, and will come again. Long ago He wandered through the world in the flesh. He still dwells in the flesh and He still wanders through the world. Though now He wanders by means of His Word and Sacraments. He is present in the Gospel, forgiving sinners and giving hope as you listen. He is present in the washing, making clean and giving new birth as you live in that bath. He is present in His Meal, sustaining faith and giving salvation as you eat and drink His Body and Blood.

You are the poor to whom the Gospel is proclaimed. You are the leper who has been healed. You are the blind one who now sees. And now you have the privilege and honor of conversing and interacting with those who ask their questions. How can they be sure of Jesus? How can they know He truly is the Son of God and their Savior? You cannot argue them into salvation. They may still have their questions or doubts. But you can bring them to Jesus. Here they get to hear and see what you do. And what’s that? Not a mere prophet. Not a simple teacher. But the Son of God who loves them by suffering and dying for them. After all, that’s what He’s done for you. That’s why He brings you into His Church. You can be certain. Jesus Himself makes you certain that He is God’s Son and your Savior. Amen.

Homily for Advent 2 Evening Prayer - 2019

"To Set You Free from All Your Sorrow"
Micah 5:2-5a; 1 Peter 1:3-9; Matthew 2:1-12

With complete credit and much appreciation to Rev. Kevin Golden and Concordia Publishing House's "Behold the Child" Advent series, and with slight revisions for my proclamation.

The music in malls and stores drips with sweetness. The scent wafting from Christmas fudge and cookies is even sweeter. And visions of family and friends with beaming faces because of the gift you gave—something still sweeter. Such is the marketing of joy. It can be produced by what you do, as long as you follow the wisdom of the advertisers. And yet for all the joy we are promised, joy can be quite elusive for many. Mourning for loved ones, anxious over strained finances, uncertain whether estranged family will even respond to invitations. Some may be expecting a blue Christmas.

Joy can be hard to come by. Where will you find it? Right here. This Advent season brings joy as you wait for and anticipate Christ’s birth. We are four days from the Third Sunday of Advent, the day called Gaudete. That’s Latin for “rejoice.” Even the Advent wreath will call you to rejoice this Sunday when the rose candle is lit. But it takes time to arrive at His birth. We are tempted to jump the gun, skip over Advent, and get right to Christmas. But that’s not how life works. The things that bring us joy are worth the wait. The things that bring us joy don’t come easily; they require patience. And as we wait, distractions sneak in to rob us of joy. Then sorrow fills the void. When joy should be flooding upon us, it escapes us. If joy can be elusive, sorrow takes hold far too easily. But you are blessed as the Magi come full of joy.

Rejoice with the Magi, because Jesus answers your sorrow.

Rejoice. You do have reason for joy. Consider everything you enjoy. God provides you with daily bread—everything that has to do with the support and needs of your body and even more than you need. You have reason for joy. But it’s too easy to be distracted from joy.

Herod was distracted. The Magi arrive in Jerusalem looking for the One who has been born King of the Jews. Herod calls the scribes so they can tell him where The Christ was to be born. They find the answer in the prophet Micah. God’s promise delivered by the prophets is fulfilled in Christ. Generations of the faithful had been longing to see it. Many had spent their lives desiring it. Now it stands fulfilled. That’s reason for joy. But not for Herod. He is distracted from joy. He is distracted by power and love of the status quo. He plots to kill the Christ Child to safeguard his own power. He is quite content with the way things are. He will not tolerate a rival to his throne.

When joy departs, sorrow finds a home. You know how that works, perhaps in the opposite direction of Herod. You have been distracted from joy by your lack of power, and so you sorrow over things never going your way. “Why can’t things just work the way that I want them, at least this once?” Then notice what happens. You focus on what you don’t have. You lose sight of what you do have, and so joy flees. Rather than rejoicing in all that God provides for you—your daily bread and more—you are distracted by frustration with the status quo. You covet more; you covet what others enjoy. Instead of seeing the Lord’s bounty bestowed upon you, you see what others have and you do not.

When joy departs, sorrow moves into your heart. Sorrow exceeds sadness, both in duration and in intensity. Sadness comes and goes, but sorrow remains for longer periods. The longer it stays, the more piercing it becomes. Sorrow is the opposite of joy. Joy requires patience as you wait to realize what you desire—waiting for graduation, waiting for marriage, waiting for a birth, waiting for Christmas. But sorrow feeds off your impatience. The longer you must go without having what you desire the deeper sorrow becomes. Sorrow tells you that joy does not come from waiting; it says your desire must be satiated right now. How has sorrow robbed you of joy?

However it has happened, Jesus answers your sorrow by who He is. He will not be who Herod wants Him to be. He will not be a rival who can be killed so that power can be preserved and the status quo maintained. He will not be who you want Him to be either. He will not be a servant who bows to your every desire. He will not treat you as if you were the king or queen. He will not be the one who upends the status quo so that you can have your dreams right now. Jesus will only be who you need Him to be. And He will be far more than you want.

When the Magi arrive, you get to see who He is. Matthew says that when they saw the child, the Magi fell down and worshiped Him. A more accurate translation would be they fell down and prostrated themselves to Him. Thirty years later, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary will find Jesus outside an empty tomb. They will do the same thing, fall down and prostrate themselves. Then the Eleven will meet Jesus in Galilee and they will also prostrate themselves to Jesus. You only prostrate yourself before God. The Magi knew it. The women at the tomb knew it. The disciples knew it.

That act of prostrating oneself reveals joy. The women at the tomb were overjoyed to see Jesus resurrected, and so were His disciples. This is the God you have: the God who chooses to humble Himself to be born not in legendary Jerusalem but in lowly Bethlehem, the God who chooses to die and rise so that you may receive what you need—forgiveness and salvation—rather than what you want. The King’s greatness is found in His humility. So Matthew tells us, literally, that the Magi “rejoiced a great joy greatly.” That’s two joys and two greats. Matthew is making the point that there is reason aplenty for joy, and it’s all because Jesus is who He is. He is the God who gives you not what you want but what you need—His coming in the flesh, His dying and rising in the flesh, all that you may have forgiveness, that you may be saved, that you may have joy.

“He whom sages, westward faring,…Humbly worshiped, off’rings sharing.” Why worship this child? Because the Lord has revealed to the Magi who this Child is and why He has come. “Lying helpless in a manger, poor and bare and lowly, To set you free from all your sorrow wholly.” Amen.

Homily for Advent 2 (Populus Zion) - 2019

"Raise Your Heads & Hearts!"
Luke 21:25-36

The world will not last forever. Someday the heavens and earth in which we live, move and have our being will pass away, and a new heavens and a new earth will take its place. C. F. W. Walther likened this fallen world to a tent that serves only a passing purpose. One day it will be taken down. This tent is not our abiding city or our permanent dwelling. Walther also called the world “the scaffolding of the eternal dwelling place” (Gospel Sermons I:10).

One year ago, we had a veritable mini-building erected within this very space—the scaffolding for the renovation project. It was its own structure—solid, sturdy, supportive, four levels tall, immovable by us, and, well, kind of ugly. And the whole space was quite messy much of the time. Yet we knew that state was only temporary. We knew that the scaffolding would come down. We eagerly anticipated the new space to be revealed when the scaffolding would be removed. So it is with everything we see around us in this fallen creation.

This is why our Lord invites us to straighten up and raise up our heads, and even our hearts: “Because your redemption is drawing near.” This is why we spend four weeks preparing to celebrate our Lord’s Birth. It’s not Christmas yet; but that day is coming. As is our Lord. So we let Advent be Advent, and we make our Advent cry: “Come, Lord Jesus!” But be careful what you ask for! You just might get it. He may just come. As C. S. Lewis quipped, “Aslan is not a tame lion!”

How did Jesus say it? “There will signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves.” Our Lord gives us ominous signs of the end of the world. His good creation—created very good by Him but disfigured by us and our sin—will come unglued. Despair and anxiety over what’s happening in the world and to the world. We get anxious over matters of politics and the economy. We despair over crises and inconveniences that happen at home or down the street. Can you imagine the fainting with fear and foreboding when the world literally comes apart at the seams?

There are only two reasons for the world to come unglued. One is God withdrawing His benevolence. His patience with corrupt and perverse humanity can and will indeed come to an end. That’s what happened in the days of Noah and the worldwide flood. The second reason the world comes unglued is God Himself stepping onto the world’s stage. That’s when He comes to rescue His faithful people. That’s when “the mountains melt like wax before the LORD” and “the heavens proclaim His righteousness” (Ps. 97:5-6). When God comes into His creation to rescue His people, the mountains skip like rams, the hills like lambs (Ps. 114:4).

So your Lord Jesus exhorts you to raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. Remember that as you ponder the image of Jesus coming on the cloud at the sound of the trumpet. For the unbeliever, that day and that coming spark fear and foreboding. But for you who look to Jesus for forgiveness, life and salvation, that day and His coming give no reason to fear. No, that’s time to stand tall, look to the heavens, and get ready for life—real life, true life that never ends, life with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

When we ponder “the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory,” we do not ponder a doomsday. Instead, we anticipate a regeneration—the rebirth and refashioning of us and all creation.  It’s what you can see in the fig tree and all the trees in the springtime, Jesus says. “As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.” When springtime comes, you know that summer is just around the corner. When the “blossoming” of signs in the sun, moon, and stars comes, you know that the kingdom of God—your true, abiding, permanent residence—is near.

So lift up your heads and hearts because your redemption is drawing near. It’s the same redemption—the same ransom and release—inaugurated and set in motion when the Son of God first set foot on the world’s stage. He was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary. He was made man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures. So straighten up, raise your heads and your hearts to look upon the Man upon the tree. There He dies with your sin, your shame, your death, and your hell. Look upon the crucified One who is now risen and reigning in endless glory. He has promised to come again and bring full redemption for you.

When the children of Israel lived in tents and wandered in the wilderness, they had a nasty habit of complaining. One time God sent fiery snakes for punishment. The people cried out. God told Moses to make a serpent of bronze and put it on pole. Anyone who would raise their head and look at that serpent would be healed of the burning snake venom and live (Num. 21:4-9). Jesus applied this account to Himself. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn. 3:14-15). Raise your heads and look upon Him lifted upon the pole of the cross. As you do, you have life—not just biological life, but life with God. And with your heads raised, you also get to confess: “I LOOK for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

Jesus then turns from the worldwide scope to the narrow, individual, and personal focus. “Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” The usual pattern is this: indulge, then watch out. Enjoy the holiday goodies, then worry about getting in shape and shedding pounds. Jesus reverses that pattern. Watch out first, so you won’t over-indulge…and then regret. You see, all that indulging weighs you down. And still you want more. That’s what happens when you focus on the visible world, the cares of this life. The worries and anxieties come flooding in, especially this time of year. And the day of Jesus comes suddenly, like a trap.

How do you combat that? Raise your heads and hearts by staying awake in prayer. “Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” The word for “praying” suggests begging in response to an urgent need. Your need is your own sin and sins that weigh you down. So you beg and cry out: “Lord, have mercy!” “Come, Lord Jesus!”

How do you prepare for such praying? By living a life and a lifetime of liturgical prayer. Such praying includes your prayer life at church and your prayer life at home. At church, lift up your hearts as your Lord comes to you in His Supper. You do not go up to Him; He comes down to you. And He brings your redemption near in His very Body and Blood actually present under bread and wine. How near your redemption is as Jesus puts it right in your mouth and down your gullet!

At home, lift up your hearts as you set aside time and place for reading, hearing, praying, even singing Jesus’ words that will not pass away. Dust off that Lutheran Service Book and Treasury of Daily Prayer, with their treasure troves of readings, prayers and hymns. And keep those appointments with your Lord just as sacred—no, more sacred—than you would an appointment with your doctor. All of this is how you persevere with patience, how you stay awake, how you raise your heads and hearts.

“Raise your heads [and hearts], because your redemption is drawing near!” Your Lord Jesus “advents”—He’s coming. Now He comes to bring comfort in the tent and scaffolding of this world. Then He will come to rescue you and bring you home to His eternal dwelling. Amen.

Homily for Advent 1 Evening Prayer - 2019

"For You and All the World"
Genesis 12:1-3; 1 John 4:9-14; Luke 2:8-20

With complete credit and much appreciation to Rev. Kevin Golden and Concordia Publishing House's "Behold the Child" Advent series, and with slight revisions for my proclamation.

The son has wandered far from home. After collecting his inheritance prematurely, he has lived as if his father were dead. He has squandered it all and has sunk to the depths—feeding pigs and even longing to eat their food. Now the son returns home willing to be less than a son, ready to be a servant. But the father will not have it. He runs to his son, embraces him, and orders the best robe, a ring, and shoes be put on him. Now it’s time to feast upon the fattened calf. His son was dead and now is alive. That is peace!

It’s no wonder that this story from Jesus is so well-loved. Father and son are reunited without anger, without retribution, without scolding. That’s beautiful.

Luke loves this kind of thing. Throughout his Gospel, Luke delights to recount how Jesus embraces the outcast and the alien. Those who had been cast out are now welcomed; those who had been alienated are now brought near. This is also the kind of account that you need. After all, you know what it is to be an outcast, alienated from others. But don’t hang on to such an account only because it resonates with you. Hang on to it because this is the kind of God you have.

Jesus Christ comes to bring peace between you and the Father.

So we hear in Luke 2. The angel of the Lord sounds forth with a clarion voice: “Behold, I bring to you good news of a great joy. For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” This good news of great joy is quite personal. The angel speaks first to a select group of shepherds and says that Jesus is born “for you.” That message is then echoed by the heavenly host, who praise God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among mankind with whom He is pleased.”

Peace. It seems so foreign, even elusive. These days of preparation hardly seem peaceful. There are presents to buy, pageants to attend, halls to be decked with boughs of holly, and here you are with another Advent service to attend. But it is not your overstretched schedule that truly robs you of peace. You are robbed of peace by the absence of certain people. Perhaps death has snatched away a loved one. Perhaps someone you care about had to move away, rarely to be seen anymore. Perhaps you have been alienated from someone by things that should not have been said, either by them or by you. And time does not heal all wounds. The more time passes, the more entrenched—and alienated—you become. Then, when families gather, the cold shoulder and silence from parent, child, sibling, friend makes the absence of peace that much clearer…and more painful.

Yet the Lord is true to His word. Jesus comes with peace for this season and all seasons. He brings peace because we don’t know what makes for peace. As Jesus said, when He wept over Jerusalem, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!” (Luke 19:42). We don’t know what makes for peace. But Jesus does. So the message of the angelic host to the shepherds is echoed as Jesus enters into Jerusalem. Then the crowds praise God, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38). Oh, there will be peace because Jesus comes into Jerusalem. He knows the things that make for peace. He was born for this. He was born to suffer and die that there might be peace.

How beautiful that the birth of the Prince of Peace was proclaimed to shepherds. We may have a romanticized view of shepherds, but the ancient world did not. Shepherds were seen as lowly, even despised—the very kind of folk who need good news. In Luke’s gospel the good news is especially proclaimed to the poor (Luke 4:18; 7:22). Whether it’s the lowly shepherds or the poor who receive the good news, one thing is certain. You cannot claim that good news of peace is for others but not you. No matter how lowly you might be, Christ knows the things that make peace for you.

Rejoice in the scope of the peace Jesus delivers. At His birth, the heavenly host says, “On earth, peace among mankind with whom He is pleased.” The heavenly host proclaims peace coming to earth. Peace has come from heaven to earth in this Child who is born. And the angels say this peace is for all humankind, not just a select few. Everybody. That means it’s for you.

And then, when Jesus enters Jerusalem, the peace goes the other direction. Now it’s the crowds who say, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” They know what God has promised through Christ: peace in heaven. There is peace between you and the Father in heaven. It’s yours because of Christ. He took on human flesh and was born to bring you peace. He died in that flesh to reconcile you to God. He rose in that flesh to proclaim peace to you. And He is coming again in that flesh to bring eternal, unending peace. You are at peace with the Father. Your sin that alienated you from the Father has been overcome. You had been the prodigal, but in Christ, the Father receives you back in joy, without anger, without retribution, without scolding. That is beautiful.

That heavenly peace spills down to earth. You are not waiting to be at peace with the Father. You live in that peace here on earth. And so Jesus also knows the things that make for peace between you and those from whom you have been alienated. His peace is for you and all the world, including that estranged family member or friend. Christ has forgiven him; Christ has forgiven you. That is what makes for peace.

So our lives are overcome with joy. “He whom shepherds once came praising,” and for good reason! The angels sing: “Joy, great joy and tidings glad we bring from heav’n resounding, For you, for you and all the world abounding.” The joy is not only for shepherds but also for you and all the world. The praise sounds forth not only from shepherds but also from you and all the world. For “God’s own Son is born a child . . . ; God the Father is reconciled.” Amen.

Homily for Advent 1 (Ad Te Levavi) - 2019

"Salvation Is Nearer to Us Now"
Matthew 21:1-9; Romans 13:8-14

“You know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11).

St. Paul could have spoken these words to “the crowds that went before [Jesus] and that followed after Him” as He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Why? Where was Jesus headed? He was headed to His cross and grave. He was on His way to fulfill what the Prophet Zechariah said: “Behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey.” Yes, Jesus was headed to accomplish salvation for sinners. Salvation from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

Salvation. That’s what the crowds following Him were hoping for. But what kind of salvation were they looking for? Salvation from what? Salvation from their daily problems and the difficulties of life. Deliverance from the Roman occupation of Palestine. The restoration of the throne of King David. And the good times of the good old days. So they greeted Jesus as king and heir of David’s throne. So they gave Him a triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Wait a minute. A triumphal entry? Not so fast! First must come all that bloody business of Holy Thursday and Good Friday. First must come the humiliation and suffering of the cross. First the suffering, and then—only then—the glory. Then comes the triumph—the triumph of the empty grave.

You know the time. The hour has come. Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

St. Paul could have spoken those words to the excited, exuberant Palm Sunday crowds. Those words do point to the meaning of what Jesus came to do. But St. Paul did not speak those words to them. He does speak them to you here today! Salvation is nearer to you now! But what is the salvation that you are hoping for? What kind of salvation are you looking for?

Sometimes, the way we talk, it seems we want a “triumphal entry” of Jesus into our lives. We want a Lord who will save us from our problems, difficulties, and dysfunctions. We want a Jesus who will rid our lives of what causes us to be afraid or depressed. We want a King who snaps His fingers and gives us a “victorious Christian life” or our “best life now.” Our Lord’s “triumphal entry,” however, teaches us not to find our comfort in such things. We must look elsewhere for our salvation and hope.

Now we have a conundrum. We still want that successful and victorious living. We still want that problem-free, stress-free, fear-free, depression-free life. And that desire becomes very clear this time of year. What do I mean? Sometimes we try to achieve these things by how we prepare to celebrate Christmas. Much of modern Christianity has turned the celebration of our Lord’s Nativity into “a holy drama of His birth.” Just look at the popularity of “living nativity scenes.” Also, much of our modern culture has turned the meaning of Christmas into cartoon specials, music star specials, and never-ending holiday themed commercials.

But we don’t buy into that, do we? Or do we? The colorful lights. The familiar Christmas carols. The holiday rituals. And all during Advent! These all turn Christmas into a sentimental affair, to be sure. They can also draw us into a feeling that this is how we prepare for Christ’s coming. And we can forget about what worries us, what terrifies us, or what afflicts us. Perhaps, even for just a time, we can put out of our minds the difficulties and messes we have brought upon ourselves. We can ignore “the threatening perils of our sins.” We can try to sanitize our lives by focusing on “cute baby Jesus” in the manger.

But we will not find our real comfort in such things. And that’s not how our Lord teaches us to prepare for His coming. St. Paul tells us how to prepare: “Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime.” Or, in the words of John the Baptizer and our Lord Jesus Himself: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2; 4:17). You know the time. The hour has come. It’s time for you to wake up from sleep. Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

“But Pastor, this is supposed to be a season of joy and making merry. Why this call to repentance?” Why? Because mother Church wants to prepare her children for a worthy and proper celebration of our Lord’s First Coming. When a special guest comes to your home, first you clean the house and straighten things up. When we hear the Advent message—“He is coming!”—it’s not just anyone who is coming. This is Someone coming from outside our world, Someone entering our time and space. This is Someone coming into our very human nature, to help us in our greatest need. And this Someone who is coming is none other than God Himself!

So the Church is not content only to remind her children of a past event for mental memory time. No, the Church wants her children to experience the Lord’s coming. We experience His coming in the liturgy. In her liturgy, you see, the Church calls sinners to repentance so that they might escape from the wrath to be revealed. She points them to the Blessed One who comes in the name of the Lord.

Not only has He come in the flesh, died on a cross, and risen from the grave; He also continues to come. He continues to come to us and among us with all of His grace and favor. And He comes through His Word and Sacraments. Ponder this as you sing just before you eat and drink Him who comes humble and riding in His Sacrament, mounted under bread and wine: “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

You know the time. The hour has come. Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. But that salvation does not come to you in a triumphal or even a sentimental way. It comes in a most humble and modest way. Martin Luther drew this out when he preached about humble King Jesus riding into Jerusalem and into our midst bringing salvation:

“There’s a big difference between this King and other kings. With the other kings everything is outward pomp, great and gallant appearance, and magnificent air. But not so with Christ. His mission and work is to help against sin and death, to justify and bring life. And He has placed His help in Baptism and the Sacrament, and incorporated it in the Word and preaching. To our eyes Baptism appears to be nothing more than ordinary water, and the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood simple bread and wine, and the sermon hot air from a man’s mouth. But we must not trust what our eyes see, but listen to what this King is teaching us in His Word and Sacrament”(HP I:28).

You know the time. The hour has come. Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. Our King and Savior is here. He comes to you today in His Word and Sacrament, offering and serving you grace and salvation. One day He will come again, visibly, in power and glory to complete your salvation by destroying death and leading you—triumphantly at last!—into eternal life with Him. Amen.

Homily for Thanksgiving Day - 2019

"Luther's 'Take' on Thanksgiving Day"
Deuteronomy 8:1-10; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Luke 17:11-19

You have to love Martin Luther’s “take” on Thanksgiving Day. Yes, I know that Luther lived and taught a whole century before the Pilgrims. Luther lived in Germany and never knew of Pilgrims, a ship called Mayflower, or a Plymouth Colony. Yet he still does a wonderful job of teaching us how best to celebrate this day—in his Catechism, that is.

We live in a day when college professors and students spurn Thanksgiving Day. They claim, wrongly, it commemorates a genocide of indigenous peoples, the Indians. We live in a day when many seek their comfort and daily bread by embracing the common sharing of economic goods, that system called Socialism. Why labor, toil and achieve if everyone gets the same goodies no matter what, the thinking goes.

Actually, the Pilgrims did try that experiment. Their original contract called for everything they produced to go into a common store. Each member of the community, then, would get a common share. Everything belonged to the community. That arrangement did not work out so well, especially after the first harsh winter and losing so many lives. So William Bradford assigned a plot of land for each family to own, work, and manage. As they realized God’s gifts of private property and possessions, the Pilgrims had plenty to support themselves, pay off their debts, and share with those in need. They even sold food and goods to the Indians, and thus the original thanksgiving dinner was born.

Thankfully, we continue to practice what George Washington proclaimed in 1789—a day “to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.” Washington also called this “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God” (Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789).

Let’s do this not only in a national and cultural manner; let’s especially do this as God’s redeemed children. Let’s look to Luther’s Catechism for his “take” on Thanksgiving Day.

When you gather around the table today, do so reverently, fold your hands, and say: “The eyes of all look to You, [O Lord,] and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Ps. 145:15-16). All that food ultimately comes only from God. He has graciously arranged for you to purchase it from the stores, but it still comes only from Him.

Then you can pray the Lord’s Prayer, and follow that with this little prayer: “Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these your gifts which we receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.” Everything you eat, everything you wear, everything you own, everything about you—your eyes, ears, hair color, body structure and sexuality—it’s all gift. “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7). On this day, we celebrate God our Father as the giver and rightly confess that we are nothing but receivers.

It’s what the Israelites learned through forty years in the wilderness. As they prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses reminded them how things really worked. The Lord had led them those forty years in the wilderness; not they themselves. The Lord humbled them, testing them to know what was in their heart, whether they would trust Him and follow His ways. He made them “know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Dt. 8:3). Their clothing did not wear out. Their feet did not swell. All because the Lord God took care of them.

The Lord God also gave them promises. He would bring them into the good land—brooks and springs of water flowing; wheat, barley, vines, and fig trees aplenty; also olive trees and honey. They would eat without scarcity; they would not want, because the Lord is their Shepherd. And when they would eat and be full, Moses called on them  to “bless the LORD your God for the good land He has given you” (Dt. 8:10).

What was true for them, the children of Israel, is also true for you, God’s children by Jesus’ blood and Baptism. So when you finish the turkey and trimmings—and before you rush off to the couch for football and food comas—don’t forget to return thanks. Luther gives more guidance. Reverently and with folded hands say, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever. [He] gives food to every creature. He provides food for the cattle and young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love” (Ps. 136:1, 25; 147:9-11).

And again you may pray the Lord’s Prayer and follow that up with this: “We thank you, Lord God, heavenly Father, for all Your benefits, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.” What could be better than topping off a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with a sweet confession of the Holy Trinity, with confessing that all of this bounty comes only through Jesus Christ Himself!

That’s what the one leper realized on the way to see the priests, upon realizing he had been healed. Ten lepers were healed; nine went on their merry way; but only one “turned back, praising God with a loud voice” (Lk. 17:15). That former leper—a Samaritan, by the way—fell on his knees and bowed before Jesus, “giving Him thanks.” It’s what you do when you realize the true source of your blessings, the real Giver of every good and perfect gift.

And while you’re at it, don’t stop at giving thanks for common food and drink. Even the cattle, young ravens, and all critters large and small receive their sustenance from a gracious Father and Creator. You actually receive more. You receive only the best from your God and Savior. After all, He “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). Jesus, “true God, begotten of the  Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary” in the little town of Bethlehem—that means “house of bread”—He is your very Bread of Life. He has redeemed you. He has won you from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. No, not with turkey or stuffing, “but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” Now you are His own. Now you live under Him in His kingdom. Now you serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness.

And this changes everything. This opens the flood-gates of thankfulness and praise. Now you know, confess and rejoice that Your God has given you your body and soul, your eyes, ears, and all your members, your reason and all your senses. He even takes care of them still. Yes, even with glasses, hearing aids, canes, and so on. Your clothing and shoes? Your food and drink? Your house and home? Your spouse, children and parents? All gifts…gifts from the Father…gifts made holy through Jesus and in the Spirit.

So go ahead, receive your day’s bread, turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and whatever else with thanksgiving. God certainly gives them and so much more to everyone without out prayers, even to all evil people. Thank Him for the money, the goods, for the devout husband or wife, the devout children, the devout workers, and even for devout and faithful rulers and good government—“that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:2). By the way, that’s the exact opposite of what you are tempted to do, and may even give in to doing, on social media these days. When you receive your daily bread with thanksgiving, that includes “kings and all who are in high positions.” When you do that, you are living as God’s dear children.

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble.” (Ps. 107:1-2). Amen.

Homily for Last Sunday of the Church Year - 2019

"Wise Virgins & the Bride of Christ"
Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus reminds us that this world is not home! Soon and very soon He will come again. At His coming all who have trusted in Him will enter with Him into the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which will have no end.

Jesus says this coming reign of God will be like ten virgins who take their lamps to meet the eternal Bridegroom. These virgins look the same. They all have identical lamps. They appear to have the same purpose—to meet the bridegroom.

These ten virgins are all people who have ever been associated with the church on earth. They all hold membership in a congregation. They all attend Sunday services. They all do churchly things. They look the same to us, but on the day of Christ’s coming we will discover that they’re not all the same. Some are wise and some are foolish.

The foolish virgins are excluded from the marriage feast of the Lamb. They are excluded because, even though they had church membership, went to church on Sundays and did churchly things, they lacked faith in Jesus in their hearts.

St. Paul said it well: “Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Tim. 3:1-5). Sounds like headlines in your newspaper or news website of choice!

The “last days” are all the years between our Lord’s first coming and His second coming. In this time span, many hold the outward form of Christianity; many call themselves Christian. But they do not know the power of the Gospel. They do not trust only Christ for their life, their identity, their purpose, or their forgiveness.

These foolish ones hear the words of Jesus but do not believe them. As Jesus said: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Mt. 7:26-27).

A fool stops his or her ears to the words of Jesus. The words fall on the ears physically, the words beat on the eardrums, but the heart refuses to open. The words fall to the ground and bear no fruit in the fool’s heart.

A fool thinks that mere outward ties to a church is the ticket to heaven, mere friendly association with other church-goers is the same as being Christian. A fool may be on the church membership roster, but denies the power of the Gospel. A fool may stay away from hearing God’s Word and receiving Jesus’ Sacrament. A fool may hear the Word and receive the Sacraments, but the divine gifts don’t change heart and life.

Foolish virgins think they know Christ but, truthfully, they do not. And He does not know them. “[Jesus] answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” Our Lord knows all people very well and yet He says to the foolish virgins, “I do not know you.” Frightful words!

In the Bible, knowing a person can mean different things. It can mean a simple acquaintance, but it can also mean intimacy—such as the relationship of husband and wife. When Jesus says, “I do not know you,” He means I am not intimate with you. You have kept Me at a distance. You have kept Me from penetrating into your heart and soul. You have kept Me from giving My life to you.

Imagine a man and a woman going through the formality of a wedding service but then never becoming intimate. They are husband and wife in name only.

So it is with the foolish virgins. They have been through the outward formality of church membership, but they are not joined to Christ. They are not one body with Him. They are not bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh. At His second coming, Jesus exposes the pretend Christians and tells them the true and frightful words: “I do not know you.” Lord, spare us!

But to the wise virgins, the door will be opened. They will enter into the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which will have no end. The wise virgins are members not just of a congregation, but also members of the Body of Christ. They are joined to Christ. They are one body with Him.

The wise virgins are baptized into Christ, buried with Him through Baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, they too might walk in newness of life.

The wise virgins are nursed and nurtured on the very Body and Blood of Christ under bread and wine. It’s how Jesus nourishes and cherishes His own body, the Church.

The wise virgins partake of the divine promises. The words of Jesus do more than fall on their ears. The words of Jesus enter through the ears, penetrate into the heart, and enliven the soul. The words of Jesus take root in the soul and bear the fruit of faith. The words of Jesus give life with God, both now and into eternity.

As Jesus said: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Mt. 7:24-25).

You are the wise virgins! You are the ones Jesus talks about: “I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14). You wise virgins are intimate with the Lord. He knows you and you know Him. He has penetrated your being with His Gospel message. You are one flesh with Him.

In the custom of Jesus’ day, the virgins were merely friends of the bride and the groom. They rejoiced with the bride and the groom. Not so with Christ and the wise virgins! The wise virgins are not just guests at someone else’s wedding party. In this case, the virgins become the bride of Jesus. Jesus transforms you virgins into His holy bride, the Church. Christ the bridegroom makes you His holy bride.

Let’s go back to Genesis 2. The Lord God looked at Adam and said, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” God then remedied Adam’s aloneness by creating a bride for him. God put Adam to sleep, opened his side, took out a rib and fashioned a wife. Then as a good father giving away the bride, the Lord God also brought the woman to the man. The man looked at his bride and said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” And the two became one flesh.

Jesus is the second Adam. On the cross He was put to sleep in death, His side was pierced open, and out flowed blood and water. And from that blood and water, the Father created you, the bride of Christ, the Church. “For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree” (1 Jn. 5:7-8).

When Jesus returns, you wise virgins will enter into the marriage feast of the Lamb as the bride of the Lamb. You are washed clean from sin by His precious blood. All your spots and blemishes are removed by the water of Holy Baptism. As St. Paul says: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Our Lord is an anxious husband joyfully waiting for the day when He can come for you, His bride, and take you into the feast in His kingdom which shall have no end.

Let that image on the wall [second from the back, lectern side] remind you of Jesus’ promise and return. Five lamps are unlit. They remind you of the foolish ones who were not ready for Jesus’ delay or His coming. They will be left out in the dark, separated from Jesus for eternity. The other five lamps are lit. And they are inside. Inside what? The life of the cross, the life of Jesus poured out for you in His Word and in the water and the blood. Amen.

Homily for Trinity 22 - 2019

"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. The Jewish man arrived and 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 confessed how he gave orders to shoot a father and a daughter when they tried to escape. “We shoot,” he cried, “oh, God…I will 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 has a much different way for us today. Our Lord Jesus calls us to trust His forgiveness so that we will also forgive one another.

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 actually being gracious and generous. Jewish rabbis at the time said 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 the forgiveness we dish out. We also ask Peter’s question: “How often shall I forgive?” We might even phrase it this way: “How often do I have to forgive?” Too often there’s no sweeter sound to our sin-clogged ears than, “Don’t get mad; get even.” After all, we don’t want to appear weak or soft on crime, and we certainly don’t want to be “taken advantage of.”

To be sure, forgiveness is very laudable, in the right situation. I still 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.” He’s supposed to be more forgiving than most. We also hear talk of forgiveness after school shootings. But then again, the evil shooters might take their own lives, and we don’t have to look them in the eye anymore. Still, we, with Peter, like to ask, “Isn’t there a limit to my forgiveness?”

Jesus answered Peter: “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” It 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. His parable gives the reason. A certain king forgives a servant, but the servant cannot forgive his fellow servant.

Let’s consider the enormous, infinite debt of your own sins. Augustus Toplady wrote a hymn you know:

“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 your infinite debt of sin hold? 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 are sinners who sin in all we do, he said, “Let’s say people sin once every second.” Yes, you heard right: one sin per second.

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 you can first drive a car, at age 16, you carry a debt load of 504,576,000 sins. When you’re 30 years old, enjoying family times with your children, you’re lugging around 946,080,000 sins. When you’re 50 years old, the children are grown, the house is empty (hopefully!), and your conscience is overloaded with 1,576,800,000 sins. And when you reach 80, getting ready for life’s end, you’ll have have to wrestle with 2,522,880,000 sins. Wow!

What’s the point? Your debt of sin is infinite. It just keeps piling up. You cannot even begin to pay it back, no matter how many times you promise to do better.

But here’s the good news. There is forgiveness for your 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).

Double forgiveness! For all sins! Jesus has more forgiveness than you’ve got sins for. No matter what your sin-debt is, Jesus paid it. Jesus forgives it. Jesus blots it out—“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, your King and Savior, has absorbed the debt of your sin and that of your neighbor. 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 your Baptism tells you. Your infinite debt is washed away. This same infinite mercy of God drives you to your pastor to confess your particular sins and hear the words of Jesus’ forgiveness. And when you eat and drink Christ’s Body and Blood, you receive even more infinite forgiveness from Jesus.

Now we can consider the debt of our neighbor’s sins. In Jesus’ parable this debt does seem large—a paycheck for three month’s work. But compared to a massive debt of billions of dollars, that’s just a drop in the ocean. This is the way to view your neighbor’s sins against you. Yes, your fellow Christians sin against you, disappoint you, anger you, even offend you. But what is that debt compared to how you have sinned against God? No contest. It’s a mere speck in your brother’s eye compared to the 2 x 8 plank sticking out of your own eye.

St. Paul said it well: “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, 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 your neighbor. If you cannot forgive your brother or sister, then you really have not trusted God when He reveals your infinite debt of sin. It also means that you don’t trust God’s forgiveness that comes through His beloved Son. You see, God also gives that same forgiveness to your neighbor. If God forgives him or her, why can’t you?

But God does forgive your neighbor. So the best thing you can do for your neighbor who sins against you—a loved one, a friend, a co-worker, a brother or sister at church—is to give your forgiveness too. That’s how your neighbor can see God’s forgiveness in action.

You see, the Church is the Body of Christ. As Christ forgives each of us, we also get to forgive one 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 you trust and rely on Jesus’ forgiveness for you, you can also freely forgive each other and trust that Jesus has forgiven your neighbor as much as He has forgiven you.

Keep this in your mind and heart as you come to the Lord’s Table. 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 for Trinity 21 - 2019

Do You Really Believe God's Word?
John 4:46-54

It’s very hard to believe God’s Word.  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. Now he wanted just such a miracle. His son was feverish, 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, the crowd, and us to the carpet for trusting in “signs and wonders.” “Unless you see signs and wonders,” He told the nobleman, the crowd, and us, “you will not believe.” You can almost see Jesus shaking His head. You see, “signs and wonders” are for the weak in faith, for those who can only handle 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 you to the Word who is Jesus. But do you really believe God’s Word in the flesh? Perhaps you are like the nobleman, who needed proof before he could believe.

Perhaps you are like Thomas. He needed to see Jesus and put His fingers into Jesus’ wounds before he would believe. Jesus first appeared to ten of His disciples, but Thomas was absent. And Thomas would not believe the Word that the others later proclaimed to him until he himself 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 you are like Elijah. He 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 “sound of a low whisper” (1 Kgs. 19:12). God certainly allows and sends natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, so that we might turn from our self-centered thoughts and ways, 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 the Word made flesh, Jesus the Son of God.

Do you really believe God’s Word? Or would you rather look for things that are much more monumental? Would you rather seek God’s love for you in what looks good and successful? Perhaps the preaching of the holy Gospel and the giving out of the holy Sacraments don’t seem to do the job. Perhaps you’d rather see the capacity crowds, even standing room only, in the church. Perhaps you’d like to add something—anything—to draw the crowds. Perhaps you’d rather see the “faith healer” do his or her work to the applause and cheers of adoring crowds.

But if you want these things, you must be ready for the consequences. When you need the healing and don’t get it, you’ll be told, “Well, you don’t have enough faith. You need to read your Bible more. You must 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, changed His schedule, and made a personal visit to Capernaum.

Again, you and I are like this nobleman. We may 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 we have. Doesn’t He know how it will get in the way of your daily life? Perhaps we try to convince God to remove the family trial we’re going through. Doesn’t He know it’s torture? Perhaps we actually come out and ask God to make those other people see our point of view. Doesn’t He know you are always right?

But Jesus will not be dethroned from His place as God’s eternal Word of love and life for us. The nobleman begs Jesus to come to his home, but Jesus says, “I’ll do something even better. I will not come to your home, but I will heal and give life back to your son.” “Go; your son lives.” That’s it! Just a word. That’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 returned 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 were cured—the young lad who was sick and on death’s doorstep, and his father who fought the disease of unbelief. “He himself believed, and all his household.”

Do you really believe God’s Word? Do you really trust this Man who brings life into this world of death? You see, Jesus comes to heal you here today. If you’re honest with yourself, sometimes it’s hard trust that He sends the Holy Spirit to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the whole Christian Church on earth and keep her with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. Truth be told, you want to add various “signs and wonders”—whether they’re outward signs of success or inward signs of 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 you or His creation. No, He longs to heal and restore. Even though you are feverish in your sin, sick to the point of death, your God still loves you and works to heal you. 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 your sickness of sin and death upon Himself. He took the punishment and wrath that you deserved upon Himself. And when He died on the cross, He sent your sins packing and trampled death to death. When He came forth from the grave victorious, He burst a big, gaping hole in death’s belly. Now sickness and death have no more dominion over you. Sure, we’re all bound to catch a virus now and then; maybe even contract a deadly disease. But those things cannot separate you from God’s love in Christ Jesus. Now you get to live!

That’s the Word that you get to hear over and over again. Just as Jesus told the nobleman, “Your son lives,” He also tells you: “You now live.” And notice how Jesus tells you this—through His Word. So, do you really believe His Word? In the face of your daily struggles, you may certainly believe the Word that comes to you here in the Divine Service. You may certainly believe what Jesus says to you 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 to life” (Jn. 5:24).

And this same Jesus, this same Word in the flesh, also said: “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 your pocket, the Word that you really believe, the Word that says, “You live, because you eat and drink Me!”

No, you don’t need to look for signs and wonders. You have the divine wonder of Jesus the Word. You have His signs called Sacraments. Let these gifts from God sustain and strengthen you when times get rough, when illness and death strike. After all, Jesus comes to tell you, “You now live.” And, yes, you may really believe it. Amen.