"He Undertakes A Great Exchange"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” Today, in your hearing, this Scripture is fulfilled. Today Christ is born. Today the Light of the World is become flesh. Today the God of heaven is made man and is born of a virgin. The Light has pierced the darkness and the darkness is destroyed. The Creator has become creaturely, has become a man. God becomes man, and all flesh shall see the salvation of our God.

For the children of man have sat in darkness for untold ages. Since the Fall, man has been engulfed in deep darkness and the shadow of death. Formerly, you were alienated from the Lord and His grace. You forsook His gifts, and sat in darkness and bondage. You chose to do what is best for yourself in your own eyes, and isolated yourself from others, even those who would attempt to love you. Even your love for others has been tainted by the poison of sin, which turns love into misuse.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” Thus sang the multitude of the heavenly host who appeared to the shepherds on the occasion of our Lord's birth. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Thus said John the Baptist when our Lord came to him at the Jordan River. These exclamations are indeed fitting for the glory and splendor of the Lord of Hosts, who comes in glory.

God is indeed seated in glory upon the throne of heaven, encircled by the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. It is He who is and who was and who is to come, the First and the Last. He is worthy of our praise, worship, glory, and thanksgiving, for He has done marvelous things. After all, it is the Lord of Hosts who created heaven and earth and all that is in them. It is He who created you and me, and every living thing. It is He who keeps the heavenly bodies in their proper motions, and keeps the earth spinning aright.

"Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” The Lord is the author and Creator of all things. He is above all creation, and yet He fills every bit of the cosmos with His Word and Spirit. By His Word the universe was made, and His gracious hand sustains all that is and all that shall ever be. From the tiniest subatomic particle to the largest star, the Lord has formed each and every one according to His design.

Who can declare the things of God? Who can do what He has done, or even speak of all the wonders of His works? No one. The Scriptures proclaim that the glory of the Lord is beyond description, beyond compare. The Lord is God, and there is none other. Confess, and do not deny, but confess the glory of the Lord, in all His overwhelming splendor and majesty.

"How Can This Be?"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sometimes there are things that make you stop, cock your head, and say “Huh?” Maybe it is a situation that you do not understand. What is going on is beyond your ken, and so you stand, mystified and silent. Or perhaps it is that something so glaringly ridiculous happens that you are caught in your tracks. You look, furrow your brow, and wonder what in the world brought this on. We have all experienced these “Huh?” moments.

Today's Gospel lesson is perhaps one of the biggest “Huh?” moments in all of history. But before Mary, there was one such moment even longer ago. In the Garden, Eve was tempted to ask, “How can this be?” As she was left alone in the midst of the Garden, she came face-to-face with the tree whose fruit was the only thing forbidden to man. The serpent whispers in her ear, “How can this be?” How can it be that the Lord God would put this here, then forbid you eating it, upon pain of death? The Lord wants to give us all good things, so why would He keep this beautiful gift from us? How can it be that simply eating a piece of fruit will kill me?

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The human race spends untold millions of dollars and man-hours on the business of preservation. This church's mailbox is regularly littered with offers from tuckpointing companies offering their services. The home-improvement industry is a massive force in the American economy. Even more behemoth is the market for anti-aging creams, pills, potions, and products. We are a culture saturated and infatuated with preservation.

Preservation is a natural instinct, it may be argued. For the good of the individual and the of the species, we are driven toward acts of self-preservation and toward things that will ensure the continuation of the human race. Two things drive a great deal of the decisions the average person makes: food and procreation.

Not the Christ

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Who are you? That is the question posed by the Jews to John the Baptist on the bank of the Jordan as he preached a baptism of repentance. Who are you, that you say these incredible things, that you condemn the establishment, that you ignore the way things are supposed to happen around here? Tell us, what makes you think you're so special?

After all, no one upsets the apple-cart just for the fun of it. John must have a reason. Perhaps he is the Christ. Perhaps he is Elijah, or Isaiah, or one of the prophets. Perhaps he is just plain crazy. Who is he, that he would choose to live in the desert, shouting at people about their sins, and living on locusts and honey?

So the Jews send envoys to John. Who are you? What should we put on the form so that we can report back to our superiors? Can we see some identification, some credentials? The answer – No. No, you may not inquire as to John's background. No, he is not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor one of the prophets. You can condemn John as a kook. You can whisper about him from the back row. You can denounce him to Herod and get him thrown in prison. But you cannot shut him into some pre-defined box.

"Prepare the Royal Highway"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Harsh words from St. Paul to summarize the human condition in former times. You were separated from Jesus Christ, having no hope, without God, alone and isolated by your sins and trespasses.

Sin separates you from God. It always has, ever since the serpent first tempted Eve. It must be so, because God is holy and just and righteous, and you are not. Sin makes communion between God and man impossible. Whereas before Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the Garden and talked with Him openly, now they, and all their children, have been cast out of paradise, out of the presence of God. The way back to God is barred by the flaming sword of the eternal Law, brandishing the wrath of God unto death for any that dare approach.

Keeping Promises

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We all make and receive promises on a regular basis. Some are relatively innocuous, like “I promise to take out the trash after supper.” Some are more serious – “With this ring, I thee wed.” Some promises seem of little consequence – “Yes, I will get you that for Christmas.” Others are a matter of life and death – “First, do no harm.” However great or small, trivial or grave, promises are made to be kept, and so we expect people to keep their word.

Likewise, the people of God expect God to keep His Word. He has promised certain things, and has done them in the past. Therefore, He ought to keep His promises to us now. Upon this premise, the Psalmist cries out, “Lord, You were favorable to Your land, You restored the fortunes of Jacob... Restore us again, O God of our salvation!” (Psalm 85:1, 4) The Lord had governed His people for generations, preserving them in the midst of trials and leading them with His mighty hand. He had given a son to Abraham and had preserved Jacob against the tricks of his uncle and the wrath of his brother. Therefore, if the Lord did all that for the patriarchs, should He not do it for His people in need now?

"Comfort, Comfort Ye My People"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked” (Ephesians 2:1). So St. Paul gives this gloomy assessment of the state of man without the grace of God. Dead and buried. Gone from the world. Locked in darkness and the shadow of hell. You were worse than dead – in bondage to sin, death, and the devil. And so you would have remained forever.

But then dawned the Light of Life. The Lord called out, “Comfort, comfort My people!” The Word of the Lord went forth from heaven and scattered the darkness, giving light and life to all mankind. The Son of David came into His own, and He won for us salvation. He shined the light of God's love into our dark hearts and brought us out of death into life. The restoration of man is accomplished!

"Blessed Is He"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down... that the nations might tremble at Your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1, 2). Oh, that the Lord would indeed come! The whole earth groans in travail as it awaits the coming of the Lord of Hosts. Would that He come quickly, come now, and come to us! O Lord, we need you now more than ever!

Sometimes it seems like this is the extent of the world's prayers to whatever god might hear. When things are off track, when people are depressed, when money is short, there is a god for that. Everyone wants a savior, whether you want to put it that way or not. Just look around you today.

For the lack of, or suppression of, talk about God and religion in American politics and culture, there sure is a great deal of desire and talk about the need for a savior. But from what do you want to be saved? College students and recent graduates want to be saved from their student debt. Those in troubled marriages want to be saved either from divorce or from the stupid choices they made. The poor want to be saved from homelessness and starvation. The sick want to be saved from sickness and death. The rich want to be saved from taxes. Christians want to be saved from Islam. Muslims want to be saved from Christianity.

"The Lord Swore to Give"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.” So we sang in the Psalm earlier. Indeed, the earth has yielded its increase. Harvest has taken place, the fruits of the labor have been stored away, and plans have been made for the profits. Things are good, and now it is time for a winter of rest, while you plan for next year. God shall bless us.

On the face of it, things seem rosy and cheery. Even the pagans around us stop and celebrate Thanksgiving, even if only by presidential proclamation. The people of our nation give thanks, even if they have no idea to whom they offer their thanks. American civil religion sees its holy day of obligation fulfilled. All is quiet on the home front, except perhaps on the football field.

However, to whom is thanks due? What good is a day of national thanksgiving if no one knows to whom we render it? Even Christians are tempted to fall into the trap of sappy, Hallmark-card sentimentality around this time of year. Things are great, and so God is happy with us. We like God, and so He likes us. He blesses us, while those other naughty people starve and go to hell. We give thanks for big turkeys, smooth gravy, and the caffeine that will power us through all the Black Friday insanity. At least for this week, God is an American, a capitalist, and a faceless, benevolent force.

Sheep or Goat?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When the Son of Man comes on the Last Day, He will come in all His glory, accompanied by the angels. He will come suddenly and unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. However, He will not come secretly. His coming will be no more hidden than lightning across the sky. Every eye shall see Him, and even the dead shall awake from their slumber. He will come on the clouds, surrounded by the heavenly host, and will take up His seat upon the throne of God to preside over the final judgment.

From the throne of glory, the Son of Man will judge the heavens and the earth, the living and the dead. He will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. Make no mistake – this is not a parable. While the image of the sheep and the goats is a metaphor for the righteous and unrighteous, the sorting to take place is no metaphor, analogy, or allegory. The Son of Man will without doubt sort the righteous and unrighteous persons and send them to their eternal destinations.

God Gathers the Increase

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Restrain, O Lord, the human pride

That seeks to thrust Your truth aside

Or with some man-made thoughts or things

Would dim the words Your Spirit sings (LSB 585:5).

The kingdom of heaven is like a man preparing to go on a journey to a distant land. He calls three of his servants and gives them money – five, two, and one talent, each according to his ability. Then he goes off for a long sojourn. Finally, the master returns, and he calls the servants to present an account of what had been entrusted to them. Those with five and two both return them having doubled their money. However, the servant with one has nothing to show for his stewardship, because he simply hid it in a hole and did nothing with that which was entrusted to him. Therefore, the master welcomes the first two servants into bliss, but takes the talent away from the last, and has him thrown into the outer darkness.

The Endurance of the Saints

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Confession approves honors to the saints. For here a threefold honor is to be approved. The first is thanksgiving. For we ought to give thanks to God because He has shown examples of mercy; because He has shown that He wishes to save men; because He has given teachers or other gifts to the Church. And these gifts, as they are the greatest, should be amplified, and the saints themselves should be praised, who have faithfully used these gifts, just as Christ praises faithful business-men, (Matt. 25:21, 23). The second service is the strengthening of our faith; when we see the denial forgiven Peter, we also are encouraged to believe the more that grace truly superabounds over sin, (Rom. 5:20). The third honor is the imitation, first, of faith, then of the other virtues, which every one should imitate according to his calling.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXI:4-6

On this day, we honor the memory of the blessed saints who have gone before us in the faith. So, it is only fitting that we should consider in what manner we ought to remember them.

What is Truth?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus proclaims, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Great. This is good news for any human ears. Freedom through truth appeals to just about everybody. We like to believe in truth. After all, truth is what keeps our world in order.

You and I are hard-wired to believe in truth. It is much more difficult to understand the idea of a lie than the truth. From the time of birth, children are automatically programmed to believe what they hear. This is why advertising on children's television is so successful. Tell a child that he needs this robot, and he will believe it. How many parents have been manipulated into buying ridiculous things for Christmas and birthdays, because the people on TV convinced their children that whatever it was was vitally necessary to their continued health and well-being?

How Shall We Live?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Again, the Pharisees come to Jesus in an attempt to trick Him with some cleverly devised question. Again, He refuses to play into their hands. This time, however, rather than simply remaining irritatingly out of their grasp, Jesus pokes back at the so-called religious experts. They ask a question, and He answers. He asks a question, and they fail to answer it.

With His question, “Whose son is the Christ?”, Jesus expounds upon His answer to the Pharisees' question, “What is the greatest commandment?” As Luther sees it, this text poses, and answers the same question within two different spheres. How shall we live, both “here in time, and there in eternity”?

What Shall I Render?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

After Jesus has told a series of parables lambasting the Jewish leadership for leading the people astray, they seek to entrap Him and get Him out of their way. Therefore, strange bedfellows come together for a common cause. Ordinarily, the Pharisees and the Herodians would never associate. After all, the Pharisees desperately wanted to maintain Jewish independence so that they could retain their prerogatives over the people and the Temple. They wished nothing more than the retreat and demise of their Roman overlords. On the other hand, the Herodians were extreme political partisans of the house of Herod Antipas. They were staunch supporters of Rome, mostly in the hopes of furthering Herod's goal of ruling Israel as king.

However, necessity creates odd bedfellows, and this occasion is no different. Both of these parties wanted Jesus silenced, so they came together to this end. They would ask Him about paying taxes to Caesar. If Jesus said yes, then the people would see their great hopes of political overthrow dashed and the Pharisees could point to Jesus as unpatriotic. If He said no, then the Herodians could denounce Him to Pilate as an enemy of the Emperor and a seditionist.

Why Are You Here?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for His Son. The kingdom is not the feast; the kingdom is the king. For where the king is, there also the kingdom. And so, this king gives a wedding feast, and he sends out servants to invite the guests. The invited guests say no. The king still has a feast to give, so he sends out another round of personally delivered invitations, and this time the invited guests go off to their fields and their businesses, and some shame and kill the messengers. Enraged at their insolence, the king sent his troops and they destroyed the wicked invitees and their city.

Those invited were thus deemed not worthy, so the king instructed his messengers to go out into the roads and gather anyone they found, the good and the bad. In this way, the hall of the wedding banquet was filled with guests.

But then the king came into the hall and saw a man there not in suitable attire. How did you get in here dressed like that? But the man was speechless before the king. So the king commanded his servants, and they threw the man out, into hell. “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Things Are Not As They Seem

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sometimes things are not as they seem. Every so often, you probably run into a situation where something seems off, seems different than what you see. Maybe it is the look in a person's eye that tells you there is more to the story. Perhaps it is the vague wording of a press release. Something just is not what it seems.

Oftentimes that happens in our spiritual lives as well, both for good and for bad. Today's readings give two examples of this.

The prophet Isaiah records the “Song of the Vinedresser”, where the Lord describes the great care He expended in establishing His vineyard, and the hope He had that it would produce abundant, rich fruit. The Vinedresser took great cares to select the perfect piece of land so that conditions would be just right. He picked rock and tilled the soil. He cleared the weeds and built walls and fences. He even built a watchtower and a winepress. When the land was ready, He planted choice vines and tended them lovingly. He gave them all the care and nutrients they needed. What more could He have done that He failed to do? All that was left was to wait to enjoy the fruits of His labor.

"By What Authority?"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Authority is a topic of great concern to many people. Just the mention of the word conjures up many and various images and concepts in the mind. Authority is important, but is also easily abused and often mis-handled.

On one hand, we want people to speak and act with authority. When a public figure or a researcher makes a statement, it is assumed, generally, that he has the authority to make the statement, and the expertise and data to substantiate it. Based on an authoritative statement from the experts, we make a decision. When the Congress passes legislation or the president gives an order, they do it on the basis of the authority vested in them by the people of the United States of America.

On the other hand, much of the political rhetoric these days centers around who has the authority to do what. Does the president have the constitutional authority to force his policies? Does the Supreme Court have the authority to hand down this or that ruling? Does the federal government have the authority to force its will on the states? A base of authority is what separates irrational, wild guessing from reasoned, informed decisions.

"I Choose to Give"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is no strange thing that you should be scandalized when someone gets something he did not earn. Something about that just does not feel right. You worked hard for your money, and so you have more right to the comforts it can buy than the guy who never worked a day in his life. Those who simply inherit the fortunes of others may be blessed, but they are lazy, at least in the eyes of many in this world. No work, no eat – that is the pattern of this life, or at least it should be, by all accounts.

And yet there are many who live not by the sweat of their own brows, but by the hand of the government and the tax dollars of their neighbors. Our land teems with those who do better on the dole than if they actually worked for a living, given their meagre background and skills. We often feel a sense of disgust toward those who game the system, taking from the hardworking and giving to the lazy, while the rich look on with derision at this middle- and lower-class bickering over pennies.

Put on Christ - Platte/Sebastian Wedding

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today, you gathered here today have, as they say, “cleaned up good.” You showered and washed, shaved and scrubbed. You primped and plucked. You had your hair cut and your nails done. You dressed yourself in beautiful finery, and decorated yourself with make-up and jewelry. All this in an effort to be the best you can be for each other. Who would not want to present himself at the best and brightest and most wonderful for his bride?

But what about the inside? Is the inside as clean and polished and beautiful as the outside? Left to your own devices, the answer would be no. In the verses preceding our epistle lesson, the apostle gives an account of what the heart of man is like. St. Paul instructs,

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.

+ Leslie A Miller +

“Sir, We Wish to See Jesus”

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the Gospel lesson just read, Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem worshiping at the Passover feast, when some Greeks came to the disciples and asked, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” What a question of faith. For this is what shapes our whole lives in faith – the desire to see Jesus.

You and I wish to see Jesus also, as did Les. Many people spend their whole lives in search of Jesus, whether they know it or not. This is even evidenced by the popular question asked by Protestant sidewalk evangelists: “Have you found Jesus?” But where do we find God? Many people have many different answers to that.

How Often Will He Forgive?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today, as we gather in the house of the Lord, we remember the events of September 11, 2001. It has been ten years, although to some it seems that time has stood still. Those directly and personally affected still reel from the aftermath of that day. Indeed, our entire nation, and the world, has been forever changed in so many ways.

That Tuesday morning introduced into the heart of America the fear of terrorism on our own soil. Many sat in disbelief at the idea that such an attack could happen in our land, the greatest nation on earth. There were many who became deathly afraid of flying afterward, and to this day, some will not take to the sky because of 9/11. Others fear to be in crowds, or in tall buildings, lest terrorists strike again in the same way. People are visibly uncomfortable sitting next to one who is perceived to look like a Muslim on an airplane or other public transit.

The Greatest in the Kingdom

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In today's Gospel lesson, the disciples come to Jesus with a rather misguided, but all-too-common question. Their question is one that we all like to ask from time to time “Who is the greatest?” You and I all want to be the best, the brightest, the most successful, the greatest. Even if you cannot be the grade-A, certified best at everything, you still want to be the greatest at fill-in-the-blank.

Because of this compulsion, we have seen an explosion of self-esteem boosters, ranging from the cute and relatively benign to the just plain ridiculous. Go to a department store just before Mother's Day, and you will see the shelves littered with clothing and trinkets emblazoned with “#1 Mom”. Kids will squabble endlessly to win the title of “best friend”. Of course, these things are relatively harmless, but it doesn't stop there.

Taking Up Your Cross

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” This is Jesus' exhortation in today's Gospel lesson. To follow Jesus, you must deny yourself and take up your cross and take off after Him. Easy enough to say, but what does this mean? How do you deny yourself, and what is the cross that you must shoulder?

The Sixth Commandment gives one example of what it means to deny yourself and take up the cross. The wedding vows taken by the bridegroom contain these words: “Will you have this woman to be your wedded wife... Will you nourish and cherish her as Christ loved His body, the Church, giving Himself up for her?” (LSB 276). To take this woman to be your wedded wife means taking up a cross. It requires you to nourish and cherish her, just as Christ loved His body, even to the point of giving Himself up for her.

The Circle of Life

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What is the movement of life? In which direction are we moving? These are questions that people have sought to answer since society began. Fallen man, not knowing the mind of God, wonders whence things have come, and where they are headed. Therefore, we come up with explanations that sound good to our own minds.

One popular conception of the cosmos is that it is circular, or at least cyclical. One can find this view in philosphies of the East and the West. In some schools of Hindu thought, the universe is thought of as being infinite, both in time and space. However, the universe runs in cycles. As it is said, once every thousand years a bird flies over Mount Everest, brushing it with a silk scarf. When Everest has been worn down by this, the universe will reset, and a new age will come to be, and so things have been and will cycle on forever.

The Outcasts of Israel

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We are conditioned not to like outsiders or strangers. It is instinctually uncomfortable to encounter someone you don't know, and even more so to actually interact and get to know the person. Each of us has his circle of friends and acquaintances, and we don't like that bubble being invaded. We train children to avoid unknown people, using phrases like “stranger danger!” to ward off the wayward inclination to talk to someone new. For vulnerable children, this may be good advice, but when do we outgrow such a maxim?

Acceptance of outsiders is the basic theme of the movie from a few years ago “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. In the film, a girl from a large, very traditional Greek family falls in love with a non-Greek man, and many comic episodes ensue in the quest to mesh their worlds. At one point in the movie, the girl's father goes on a rant about his daughter's intended: Is he a good boy? Is he from a good family? Does he have a good job? Does he love his mother? I don't know! He's not Greek! Why couldn't she find a nice Greek boy?!

A Firm Foundation

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“How firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord, / Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!” (LSB 728:1) So we sang, and so we have heard repeatedly from our lessons in the past weeks and today. The Lord provides solid ground for us to walk. He levels the pathway for His saints. He gives His light to shine upon our way and illuminate our footsteps. And yet, like Peter, still we doubt, and we sink.

The wager between the Lord and the devil was that, given the resources, the devil could make Job curse God and renounce His faith. Of course, the devil lost that bet, but in the course Job indulged in no small pity party, even to the point where he cried out that he wished he had never been born. He had trouble standing upon the foundation of the Word of God in the midst of trials.

The Best Things in Life...

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

They say that the best things in life are free. The Beatles proclaimed to the world, “Can't buy me love.” A wife's kiss, a son's hug, a daughter's grin – things like these have no price-tag. You cannot buy the sun or the rain. Good health is priceless. Indeed, many of the best things in life are beyond the ken of the marketplace. They may take work, but they cannot be bought.

In today's Old Testament lesson, the Lord exhorts you to come and receive great blessings at no cost to you. Come, buy and eat and drink, without price or cost! Come and receive all those things which are necessary for your daily life. You who thirst, come and drink deeply, and be satisfied. You who are hungry, come and eat your fill of rich food. Eat and drink and be satisfied by the bounty that the Lord provides. And keep your money, because the Lord has spread His table before you as a gift and a blessing. He asks no price, no admission cost. He only invites you to come and partake of the wonders He has in store for you.

Because the Lord Loves You

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

To adopt a child is an act of kindness nearly without parallel. The love that motivates a would-be mother and father to accept a child not their own into their home and call him their own can only come from our loving heavenly Father. A special, unreproducable bond exists between flesh-and-blood family, but there is something wonderful that binds together parents who choose to receive and a child who is given to them by means of adoption. The adoption of children gives us a beautiful picture of what the unconditional love of God is like.

Unconditional love is a wonderful thing. We hear it mentioned often in religious circles. Unconditional love, in Hebrew hesed and in Greek agape, is the love with which only God can love. It is the type of love with which St. Paul exhorts us to love one another in the Holy Spirit. It is the love of Christ for His people. And yet, it is beyond our grasp.

Out In the Weeds

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today we hear another parable from Jesus about the kingdom of heaven. This time, it is compared to a field in which the master has sown good seed, and yet the enemy comes after him and sows weed seed over the top of the wheat. The servants are concerned about what to do, but the master instructs them to wait until the harvest to separate them, so as not to harm the growing wheat. Then, at harvest, the weeds will be burned, while the wheat is gathered and stored safely away.

In the context of Matthew 13, we know that the seed sown is the Word of God. Now, since it is from God, we know that the Word is good. In last week's lesson, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed that the Word of the Lord comes from His mouth from heaven to earth, and it accomplishes the purpose for which He sent it. The Word of God does what it says. When He says, “Live,” you come to life. When He says, “Rain,” it rains.

God's Word Does What He Says

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

In these words, the prophet combines a multitude of teaching from our Lord. Here, we learn of the nature of God's provision for us in our bodies, His care for our souls, and He, by inference, reveals Himself and how He works toward us.

The Cost of Peace

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” That sounds like something out of the mouth of a warlord or a conqueror. Something to strike fear into the hearts of those faced with the point of that sharp sword. A message of death and destruction. One certainly does not expect to hear such words from the Prince of Peace. Yet that is what our Lord says.

The world likes the baby Jesus. That Jesus is easy to handle. You can picture Him nursing at His mother's breast. You can imagine Him crying in the stable, under the watchful eye of the cattle and sheep. The world loves to sing carols like “Silent Night” and “Away in a Manger”. This Jesus is easy to deal with because He is cute and cuddly and inoffensive.

This is the catholic Faith

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith.” With its opening sentence, the Athanasian Creed lays down the line regarding who will or will not be saved. Only those who hold the catholic faith can go to heaven. But what is the catholic faith? What does it mean to be catholic? To be catholic, in the true sense of the word, is much more than to be under the Bishop of Rome.

This is not a new question. In the fifth century, the Church was embroiled in a great many scandals and controversies, and a solution was sought as to what made one a part of the one holy catholic Church. What was the measuring rod that determined whether a teaching newly propounded was worthy of acceptance? To this question, St. Vincent of Lerins proposed an answer, accepted by the Church, which has been handed down to us under the name of the “catholic principle”. St. Vincent wrote, “In the catholic Church itself, every care should be taken to hold fast to what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.”

Flowing Waters of Life

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pentecost was an event like none other. First, Jesus had told His disciples, “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” ( Luke 24:49). So they went back to Jerusalem and waited. But for what did they wait? They had no idea. Jesus gave no indication of what the “promise of my Father” was, nor did they know what it would mean to be “clothed with power”. The whole situation was rather odd.

And it only got more odd when the day of Pentecost actually happened. Luke records that a mighty wind swept through the house, and tongues of fire came to rest upon the disciples. Then they went out and began preaching about the resurrection of Jesus in the public square. Furthermore, they were preaching in every language of their hearers, languages they had never spoken before, possibly that they had never heard before. They experienced a “reset”, if you will, of the curse inflicted at Babel thousands of years before. And then the message - “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Salvation preached in the name of the man the Jews had murdered less than two months ago.

Kept in the Name

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

To be in the name of someone or something is no light matter. When the president of the United States of America speaks officially, he speaks in the name of 310 million Americans. When the Pope speaks ex cathedra, he speaks in the name of God, allegedly. When a lawyer enters a plea or brokers a deal, he speaks in the name of his client. In this spirit, the president of the Republic of Ireland is, by constitutional limitation, not allowed to speak officially or to leave Ireland without express permission of the Irish Parliament. To bear the name of someone is a weighty matter, and certainly even more so when it is the Name of God that you bear, which indeed you do.

Memorial Day 2011

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” We are more than conquerors. We are more than warriors. We are more than soldiers. We are more, because we are children of God and heirs with Christ.

As we gather here this morning to remember those brave men and women who have laid down their lives for us and for our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, we give thanks that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We are more than conquerors because the most severe war has already been won. We know that Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. We know that through His death and resurrection, He defeated sin, death, and the forces of the devil, and He gives us the spoils of that conquest.

Even though the forces of evil be arrayed against us, we need not fear. Even though the devil come against us to take our life, goods, fame, child, or wife, we know the victory has been won. We give thanks for those who fought valiantly and gave their lives for us, because we know that the Champion of heaven gave His life for them, and they have the victory through His blood.

Today, give thanks for those who died for you to protect this nation and people. Give thanks for the blessings which God gives you which these brave men and women fought to preserve for you. Give thanks that your life here is daily and richly blessed, and that your life in heaven is secure. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Because I Live

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In today's Gospel lesson, Jesus promises us, “I will not leave you as orphans.” With these words, our Lord invites us to believe and trust that He will never leave us alone in this world, no matter how forlorn or difficult things appear to be. For we know that regardless of appearances, our God is always with us.

Contrary to what many might think, and in contrast to many other religions of the world, our God is not an absentee deity. Despite what the philosophers of the 1960s and on have said, God is not dead. Our Lord has died, but is now living. And our God is not simply a clockmaker who wound up the system, set it in motion, then wandered off and forgot about us. The Scriptures declare that our God made the heavens and the earth, and He directs the movement of each and every particle in the cosmos. He knows the beat of every heart of every living thing, and He daily and richly provides for all our needs of body and soul.

Pure Milk

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Next to water, milk is perhaps the second-most important liquid in the lives of the human race. From cradle to grave, we are predisposed and predetermined to spend our lives drinking milk, and eating all its wonderful derivatives. Just imagine a life without cheese, butter, or ice cream – how terrible that would be, at least for me!

Needless to say, milk is important, and the purity of that milk is of the utmost concern to those who produce, distribute, sell, and consume it in all its forms. Consider the amount of laws and codes and guidelines related to the dairy industry.

The Wagon-Tracks of Righteousness

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

As we gather to celebrate confirmation, and then to celebrate the Lord's Supper today, it is especially fitting that our psalm for today is one of special thanksgiving for our Lord's guidance and provision. In the words of Psalm 23, David teaches us about the gifts our Lord gives to us, and how He sustains us in faith and life through all our days.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” With these words, David confesses what Jesus tells us in today's Gospel lesson – He is the Good Shepherd who provides for the needs of His sheep. Here we learn and confess that God our heavenly Father provides for us in all our needs of body and soul, just as surely as He has created us and all our members and senses. He gives you and me all that we need, daily and richly takes care of us, and guards and defends us from all kinds of evil.

He Was Made Known to Them

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

As the two disciples walked along the road from Emmaus, they discussed between themselves the events that had happened in Jerusalem in the past few days. They had seen and heard of all the things that Jesus had said and done, and yet they did not understand what had happened, and why it had happened. Furthermore, Luke has not recorded a sighting of Jesus yet, so these two had reason to be perplexed and despairing.

The two disciples walked along the road, discussing all these things, when Jesus came up alongside them and asked what they were debating. They were amazed that He did not know what had happened, because the whole of Jerusalem was atwitter with the news. Luke records that their eyes were held back from recognizing Jesus, so they must have marveled at His supposed ignorance.

Peace Be With You

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'” Jesus comes and gives peace to His disciples, calming their hearts, which had been churning since that morning on account of the reports from the women and Peter and John. The peace that Jesus gives is a real and abiding peace, a peace rooted in the redemptive work He has accomplished for us.

If Christ Had Not Been Raised...

Christ is risen. Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Many people in this world doubt the facts of the resurrection. To some, it is an article of blasphemy. To others, it is simply a physical impossibility. Many people consider bodily resurrection a flight of fancy, to be dismissed with witches and leprechauns.

Islam says that Jesus was not crucified. The Quran says that Jesus was only a human prophet, born like anyone else, son of Mary and not God. Allah supposedly promised Jesus that he would not die a shameful death, which certainly means that he did not die on the cross. To Muslims, the idea that Jesus would have risen from the dead is blasphemy, because no one rises from the dead.

"The Lamb the Sheep Has Ransomed"

Christ is risen. Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer your thankful praises!” On this morning, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. We give thanks to God our Father, who has brought His Son, our Savior back from death to life. We offer our praises that the sheep who was led to slaughter has become the life of all the living. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world has been slain and now is raised.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Mary, has died and now is raised, never to die again. Our great High Priest has offered up the sacrifice for sin once for all, and His flesh has been pierced for us. With His striped we have been healed. By His blood we are forgiven. The water and the blood have flowed from His pierced side and have washed us clean.

The Cross Hurts

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The crucifixion of Jesus is difficult for us to deal with. It is a bloody event. He was beaten, flogged with cat-o-nine-tails, pierced with the crown of thorns, and nailed to a rough-hewn wooden cross. Many people have trouble watching Mel Gibson's portrayal of the Passion because of the blood and gore and violence. We, two thousand years later, would rather not dwell on what our Lord suffered on that day. Sweating blood, suffocating in His own bodily fluids, crying out in agony – these are things the Lord of Hosts should not endure.

On a deeper level, the crucifixion is discomforting because it is a symbol of shame. Only the worst of the worst were tortured and executed so. The Scriptures call him accursed who hangs on the tree. Only the most grievous sin would bring one to this point.

This Bittersweet Supper

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We are gathered here to commemorate Our Lord's giving of the Lord's Supper on the night when He was betrayed. Our gathering for this Meal is bittersweet, for this is a matter of great joy, but also great sorrow.

The Supper of our Lord brings to us great and immeasurable joy because here our Lord comes to us and feeds us with the food of life. With this bread and wine, we receive the very, true, physical Body and Blood of our Lord for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. Under this sign, the Church is constituted. From this Chalice flows the life-blood of the Church. With this Body and Blood, we live and move and have our being. This Supper defines the Church, because apart from it, there is no Church.

FUNERAL: + Lorna Mae C. Haeflinger +

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It can be difficult to adapt to the change when parents move away from the home where we grew up. As a child, a move means leaving a place that holds so many memories and associations, even if you only move across town. I knew someone in college who, as soon as he had moved off to college, his parents sold their house and relocated. Once he left for that first fall semester, he never got to go “home” again.

For all of us, the idea of moving is unpleasant, and all the more so if you do not know where you are going to end up. No matter how well planned, there is always uncertainty about how things will work out, about how you will adapt your life to your new place in the world.

VISITATION: + Lorna Mae C. Haeflinger +

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

We live lives characterized by guilt and shame. Media advertising is built upon this premise. After all, how do you get someone to buy something trivial and unnecessary? Convince her that she will be a bad housekeeper without this new mop, or she will be a bad mother without these fruit snacks, or he will be a bad husband without this nifty new phone, or that somehow you will be a poor employee if you take the wrong kind of antacid.

Of course guilt and shame go deeper than that. We all have our own loads of shame on account of our sins. You and I are born with it. Inherited from Adam, sin infects us from the moment of conception. Sin is at the root of all bad and evil things in this world. Because of sin, Lorna died, and likewise you and I shall all die.

But death in the body is not something for us to fear. We shall not be put to shame in our bodies, because Christ lives in us. Each of us, like Lorna, has been buried with Christ, in order that we may live in Him who is the Resurrection and the Life. We are not ashamed of the frailties of our mortal bodies because we know that death no longer has dominion over us. Christ died the death to sin once for all, and we have already faced the judgment when we were plunged into the waters of Holy Baptism and pulled up into new life in Christ Jesus.

We do not live in fear or sorrow, as those who have no hope. We do not live in shame, as those who have no redemption. No, we live in peace and joy, because we know that our Redeemer lives. And so we say with St. Paul, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

“Open to Me the Gates of Righteousness”

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Coco Chanel once said, “Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” Good advice, but yet it seems like so often we do just that.

You and I spend our time beating on the wall because we each want to find our own door. If I just beat hard enough and long enough and in the right spot in the right way, so we think, I will find a me-shaped door that will magically open to let me into the kingdom of God. And until then, we just beat blindly against the stone of our own sin and guilt.

The problem is not that we do not know the extent of the wall. Even in our blind, ignorant, sinful condition, the problem is obvious. Like David, we each say, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” The Law of God is written on our hearts, and so we know what we should be doing, and yet we do the opposite. You know that you are not perfect, but you try to act like you are, as if you could just run away from your sin, or cover it up somehow. But none of us can get away from our sin and guilt. It remains before you, as clear as the face in the mirror.

"As Your Own Bride Shall We Be Brought"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony as God ordained it? Will you submit to him as the Church submits to Christ? Will you love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health and, forsaking all others, remain united to him alone, so long as you both shall live? (LSB 276)

With minor variations, this is what each married woman here was asked on her wedding day. Will you have this man, now and forever? Just as the rite of matrimony notes, this vow is based on our relationship with our Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We hear in the book of Hosea about a very tumultuous relationship between a husband and wife, one marked not by faithfulness, love, and devotion, but by inchastity, harlotry, and longsuffering. And Hosea's marital ills are but a study in miniature of our Lord's relationship to us.

"The Resurrection and the Life"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Death is unnatural. Contrary to what you may hear from many popular sources nowadays, death is not a part of life. Rather, death is the exact opposite of life, the enemy of life, even. Death is not a natural process, nor is it something to be embraced, celebrated, or taken lightly. Death is the result of sin, and the fruit of the devil's work upon Adam and Eve so long ago in the garden.

Martin Luther was no stranger to death. He saw the death of many of his friends and colleagues, and ministered to many of the faithful as they lay dying from the Plague. He delivered more than a few funeral sermons in his career. And one thing that is striking about Luther's preaching in those cases is that he encouraged Christians to mourn and grieve. At the death of Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, Luther said that those who stifled their grief were uncaring and deceitful. Rather, grief, in moderation, is entirely appropriate for the Christian, because in the process of death, we are bereft of something very precious. Death means a loss. Death causes a hole in our lives and our hearts where that person had been. Death is a reality, and it is difficult. And so we are right to grieve for what we have lost.

"Your Blood My Royal Robe Shall Be"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.” Jesus asks us to imagine this situation. A king is preparing to celebrate the marriage feast of his son. He sends out invitations by royal messenger. He orders preparations made, food cooked, the palace made spotless and gleaming, the garments all richly prepared. The best of the best are invited. From far and wide, the richest, most famous, most brilliant, most good-looking people are expected to be in attendance for the royal wedding. One would be a fool to miss such a spectacular affair.

And yet, when the time came, that is exactly what happened. The upper crust decided that they had better things to do. Some merely ignored the messengers and invitations and went about their business. Others laid hands upon the servants of the king and beat, mocked, shamed, and even killed them. The rich and famous had all they needed for themselves; they had no need of the king and his fancy feast and pomp and circumstance. Easier just to buy the commemorative postage stamp than actually get all dressed up and go.

Do You See?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus and His disciples encountered a man who was blind from birth. Following the general Jewish mindset about such things, the disciples asked Jesus who had sinned to cause this, the blind man himself, or his parents.

To them, and to the Jews observing them, it seemed like a natural question. We know from the Scriptures that all dysfunction and calamity come about as a result of sin. Furthermore, the Lord says that He will punish the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. So the logical outflow is that if something bad befalls you, someone must have done something to merit it happening. Therefore, who sinned – the blind man or his parents?

This line of thinking is very tempting, not only to first-century Jews, but to everyone. Jesus confronts those who think this way when He addresses the situation of the Jews whose blood Pilate mingled with pagan sacrifices. Did they do something to deserve such a death and desecration? No one could point to special wickedness that caused that.

"O Wondrous Love, What Have You Done!"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Out of the depth I cry to You, O Lord.” This is where the psalmist starts, in the depths of sin and guilt. I know that what the Scripture says is true – in sin did my mother conceive me, and in iniquity was I born. I know that I have not helped matters since then. Instead, I was born into a hole of sin, and have only succeeded in digging it deeper and deeper with the shovel of my own actions and inactions. All the systems and theories and religious ideas of the world have thrown me ropes, but these have only given me length to hang myself.

The further and further down we dig in our own hearts, the more and more we realize that we are blinded by our sinful condition. We turn in circles endlessly in the pit of despair, looking for the way out, only to find that our path has been chasing our own tail. We bumble along, stumbling upon this and that, collecting artifacts from our own broken lives, ignorant both of the problem and the solution. And our pride and stubbornness keeps us from asking for help until we reach the end of the line, until we slam into the brick wall.

Living Water and True Worship

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Because of the Jews, Jesus had to leave Judea and return to Galilee, which took Him right through Samaria. In the heat of the day, our Lord found Himself at Jacob's Well, in the town of Sychar, alone.

A Samarian woman comes to the well at noon to draw her water. This is strange, because the usual time to draw water was either late in the afternoon or early in the morning, in the cool parts of the day. However, given the dubious character of this woman, she perhaps chose to come when no one would be around, so that she could avoid the piercing glares and wagging tongues of the other women in town. This is what sin does – it isolates each of us from one another. You are afraid to show your face in the marketplace because someone might know what you have been up to in the shadows. I would rather stay home because I do not want to confront those who disapprove of what I do. We avoid each other because we want to avoid condemnation.

"Whom God the Father Chose to Send"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What does it mean to be one, or to be united? It seems that a great many things today are “united”, at least in name. The United States of America. United Van Lines. United Auto Workers. The United Methodist Church. All these entities say they are united, but what does that mean? What does it mean for us to be united, to be one?

“And this is eternal life...” What is eternal life? For us to ask that is a bit like asking a person born blind, what is green? And, depending on whom you ask, you will get different answers.

For a great deal of people in this world, eternal life means simply nothingness. The goal in life is to be released from the prison of matter and time and space and simply to be nothing. Nirvana, bliss, being at peace with the universe. Whatever you want to call it, it seems attractive. After all, there is no judgment, no right or wrong, no ending or beginning, just being.

Follow the Sign

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The world is full of signs, some more helpful than others. I once saw a sign on a fence that said “No Smoking Propane”. Or there is the sign I saw in a book that read “To Go Left Make 3 Right Turns”. I'm sure you have seen signs in various places that caused you to laugh, scratch your head, or just plain wonder what the signmaker was thinking.

In general, most of the signs we see regularly are good. Signs give useful information. Street signs tell us where we are, and help us find where we want to be. In every land, in every language, the first thing a foreigner learns to recognize is the restroom sign. Then, once you can find the restroom wherever you are, you learn to recognize food signs. We need an abundance of signs to help us answer those three basic questions: where am I, where is the restroom, and where is the food?

"A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

With a little coaching, animals will usually go easily if they can see where they are headed, but if they are unaware of what is coming. Pigs generally refuse to make right-angle turns, but are fairly willing to walk around a curve, as long as they don't know that they are heading into a truck or a new confinement. Jewish and Islamic law regarding the slaughter of meat recognizes this trait in animals, and therefore prohibits allowing subsequent animals to witness the slaughter of those before them in line. Herd animals will very often follow a lead animal, regardless of where that animal leads.

Let the Bones Which You Have Broken Rejoice

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.” That phrase seems like a hard pill to swallow. How can broken bones rejoice? Why would we rejoice in pain and suffering? Brokenness should induce sorrow and weeping, not praise and rejoicing. But in Psalm 51, David leads us in the pattern of true repentance.

Psalm 51 is set amidst a situation of deep grief for sin. King David had seen Bathsheba bathing on her rooftop, and lusted over her. So he called for her and seduced her, and impregnated her. When David found out she was pregnant, he tried to cover up his sin by bringing Uriah, her husband, home from battle. However, Uriah was a righteous man, and he refused to lie with his wife while his troops were in battle. So, David had Uriah sent to his death on the front line. Then he took Bathsheba as his wife. However, the prophet Nathan was sent by God to call David to account for his sins, and David was stricken with grief and contrition. His contrition pleased the Lord, but because of his sin, the son conceived in David's adultery died soon after birth.

"It Is Written"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man,” St. Paul says. But it seems like there are an awful lot of temptations that are common to man.

What tempts you? Perhaps you experience temptation in the things of the flesh. I don't know about you, but I sure love to eat. For most of us, all-you-can-eat buffets are a trap. All that wonderful-looking food laid out there, just begging you to eat and eat and eat. Pretty soon, one plate turns into two, then three, and so on. We keep eating until we feel like we are ready to burst at the seams. And were we really that hungry in the first place? Was it really necessary, or at all healthy, to stuff ourselves like that? We all experience the temptation toward gluttony from time to time, even it is just that last little piece of pie staring us down from the kitchen counter.

Listen, Then Look

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Have you ever taken a child to a shopping mall or museum or zoo? As soon as you get in the door, the child takes off running for the nearest attraction, and you struggle to catch up before he gets lost in the crowd or gets into trouble. You give chase, only to find him pressed up against the glass, googly-eyed over the newest and greatest toy, or the majestic tiger. Then, you are faced with the task of prying him away from the new-found object of his affections so that you can proceed according to an orderly plan so that you can accomplish what you intended.

Children are often wont to look before they listen. In the face of intensely appealing visual stimuli, no child I have known can sit still and listen to an adult's seemingly endless stream of words. And adults often are little different. Just watch people's reactions to the attendant's safety briefing at the beginning of a flight. Most people are looking, but paying no attention, except to find out when it is acceptable to turn on their iPods, close their eyes, and wake up in the next land.

Sufficient for the Day

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This world has an awful lot of troubles these days. As of mid-2010, the average American has about $44,000 in personal debt, including secured debt like mortgages. According to some sources, the average household in this country has about $8,000 in credit card debt. The US national debt, as of this past week, is over $14 trillion.

The Wisconsin legislature is in its second week of protests regarding the collective bargaining rights of state workers, and has recently passed the bill in the House. However, if the fourteen state senators hiding in Illinois do not return to work, the matter will stall in the Senate. If the matter is not settled, the governor has said that 1,500 state employees will be laid off by June. The national unemployment rate continues to hover over 9%, and, as of December 2010, the Iowa unemployment rate was 6.3%.

Bodies continue to be discovered in Christchurch, New Zealand, following the catastrophic earthquake there this past week. The death toll is rapidly approaching 100 there, and many more left injured and homeless. Protests in Libya are leading to deaths daily as people demonstrate against the government.

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Sufficient for the day is its own troubles, but sometimes it feels like there is an overabundance all at once. It is difficult not to worry about tomorrow when there is so much of today's trouble that seems to send ripples into tomorrow and the next day and the next generation.

That You May Be Sons of Your Father

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” The world seems to operate this way much of the time. The scales of justice balance themselves. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Tit for tat, toe to toe. If someone hurts you, hurt him back. If someone takes from you, take what is his. Round and round, over and over, the cycle keeps on going. Small children are expert at this sort of thinking. Just watch boys on a playground. If one slights another, he hits his opponent, who returns the punch, and pretty soon they are going blow-for-blow. And girls are no different, except maybe in their methods.

As adults, we are often not much different. We don't like to be slighted. We don't want to feel belittled or offended or put down or put out. We don't want to be insulted or abused or taken advantage of. We would rather put up walls of defense against those who hate us. We would rather cling tightly to what we have than risk losing something in service to our neighbor. We would rather lash out that take the lashes.