Because A Baby Boy Bled

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

Here we are again. New Year's Eve – the Seventh Day of Christmas. The presents have mostly all been given, received, unwrapped, unpacked, and put away. At the end of another year, we gather for a moment of reflection on the year past, and a time to pray for the Lord's blessings on the new year dawning. But there is one gift that keeps on giving – the blood of Jesus. For as we gather on the Eve of the New Year, the Eve of the Eighth Day, we gather because our heavenly Father gave to us the blood of Jesus, that we may be forgiven, the life of Jesus that we may live, and the Name of Jesus for us to bear and proclaim.

Today, we observe the Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus. This is an occasion to remember that our Lord Christ fulfilled the Law for you in every way. He shed a bit of blood on His eighth day, so that He might fulfill the Law given to Abraham and Moses. Jesus fulfilled all the Law for you. Not just the big stuff. Not just the easy stuff. All of the Law. The uncomfortable, the strange, the unpleasant, the unmentionable. The painful parts, literally. He did everything that the Father commands, everything that you could not do for yourself.

For Those Who Were Not

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

On this day, the earth rings once again. But whereas only a few short days ago, the earth was ringing with the exultant cries of the angels in the Judean sky and the joyous songs of all creation at the birth of our Savior, now the earth rings with the blood-curdling wailing of the mothers of Bethlehem mourning for their sons who are now no more – slaughtered at the command of lunatic Herod. Instead of “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth!” is now heard “weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Magi – wise men from the East – had passed through the courts of Herod in Jerusalem. That great pretender, the usurper to the throne of David, feared for his ill-gotten position, and so he plotted how he might rid the land of this newborn King of the Jews. When the Lord thwarted his plans by sending the Magi home another way, Herod determined to spend his murderous wrath on the whole land. So he gave the decree to have all male children in the region of Bethlehem two years old and younger slaughtered, according to the time he had ascertained from the wise men.

All this took place while our Lord was spirited away to Egypt, his guardian Joseph having been warned in a dream to flee with the Child and His mother. So the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem shed their blood in order that the Christ Child might not spill His yet.

This is the Day!

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

This is the day that gladdened them, the Prophets, Kings, and Priests, for in it were their words fulfilled, and thus were the whole of them indeed performed!  For the Virgin this day brought forth Immanuel in Bethlehem.  The voice that of old Isaiah spake, to-day became reality.  He was born there who in writing should tell the Gentiles’ number!  The Psalm that David once sang, by its fulfilment came to-day!  The word that Micah once spake, to-day was come indeed to pass!  For there came from Ephrata a Shepherd, and His staff swayed over souls.  Lo! from Jacob shone the Star, and from Israel rose the Head.  The prophecy that Balaam spake had its interpreting to-day!  Down also came the hidden Light, and from the Body rose His beauty!  The light that spake in [Zechariah], to-day shined in Bethlehem!¹

Thus St. Ephrem the Syrian began his hymn on the Nativity of our Lord. Indeed, let us rejoice and be glad in it, for this is the day which the Lord has made! Let us rejoice, for this is the day of our Lord's birth according to the flesh. On this day, earth shall ring with the words of the prophets and apostles, because the Word of the Lord has stepped forth from His holy throne in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

O Holy Night?

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

What a night Christmas Eve is! The Festival of the Incarnation of our Lord has come once again and it is good to be here this evening in order to hear of God's revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations (Romans 16:25-26).

Throughout Christendom there are many gatherings taking place this night as the people of God congregate to hear the Word and to receive Christ in the Sacrament. In many such churches, the Lord's undershepherds tell children of all ages, the Story - the historical account - of the Savior's Birth in Bethlehem on that night so long ago and so far away. In truth, it is the privilege of such local undershepherds, men who have been entrusted by the Lord, to guide and lead the people to Bethelehem to see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. This is truly a Holy Night – the most holy night of all.

This is a holy night because the angels proclaimed it to be when they visited the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. And so throughout generations, people have sung this truth: that this is O Holy Night.

In Joseph's Shoes

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

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.” The beginning of our Gospel lesson sounds so clinical, so matter-of-fact; and compared to the Gospel of Luke, Matthew does not say much about Christmas. What Luke takes over a hundred verses to talk about, Matthew boils down to the eight we have before us. But what Matthew has to say is quite a bit.

Mary and Joseph are betrothed to one another: unlike today where the vows take place the same day of the wedding, they have already promised their lifelong commitment before God and man, but their wedding day still lies in the future. They have pledged their faithfulness to one another—and now Mary is found to be with child. Such scandals are not unknown in the history of mankind, but Mary's explanation might be a first: she says the Child is from the Holy Spirit. Uh huh, replies the world; of course He is.

Given the evidence before him, Joseph could have Mary stoned to death; but he resolves instead to divorce her quietly. But as he considers these things, an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and says, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

So begins the Incarnation, and note Joseph's position from the very beginning: he can go by what his eyes see or what his ears hear.

An Everlasting Sign

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

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He created the sun and the moon. He created the seas and the dry land. He created the plants and the animals. He created every seed-bearing plant and every fruit-producing tree. And then, as the pinnacle of creation, He created man and woman in His image and blessed them with the fruits of all creation.

From the beginning of creation, God created things and set them in order. He created the plants and the animals, and He arranged them in the Garden of Eden. The plants grew each according to their own kind. They flowered and produced fruit according to their various kinds. And it was all good. Things were beautiful. Adam and Eve were well fed through the bountiful provision of the Lord. They had merely to reach out and receive the fruits of the earth.

Creation was perfect. Every living thing brought forth according to its created order, and it was all very good. The Garden was in perfect order, subdued and in service to the man and woman to whom God had given charge over creation.

Establish Your Hearts

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

Waiting is difficult for children. Advent is a rough time for a young mind. The tree goes up, the wrapped packages start appearing, and you may not touch them. Talk of Christmas presents starts to happen – maybe even the trips to the stores to buy them for others. They spend the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas with daily reminders of what is coming, but is not yet. The wait is excruciating. The temptation to touch, to handle, to go exploring, is almost more than they can bear. It is as the Chipmunks say:

Christmas, Christmas time is near
Time for toys and time for cheer.
We've been good but we can't last;
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast!
Want a plane that loops the loop,
Me, I want a hula hoop.
We can hardly stand the wait;
Please Christmas, don't be late!

"Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God"

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

“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” That sounds good. Good directions for the Christian life. Seek God while He may be found. And when is it that God may be found? Right now, of course! God is here, just like He has always been. The time to find God is always now, the present, this moment.

Of course there is a temptation in this knowledge. You can seek the Lord today, or you can seek Him tomorrow. He has always been here, so He will be here later when you decide that you need Him. Things are good now, you might think, so you do not need the Lord. All quiet on the western front, God is in His heavens, and let's leave well enough alone.

Martin Luther once compared the Gospel to a passing rain-shower. It is here today and gone tomorrow. The Lord may be found while He is here, but He does not promise to be handy to you at all times. The Spirit blows where He wills. If you turn your back on Him today, He may choose to leave you to your own devices tomorrow. “Have it your way” may work great for hamburgers, but it is a terrible word of judgment from the Lord of Hosts.

The Fear of the Lord

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

There is an old verse to the hymn “Amazing Grace” that has not made it into our hymnals. The second verse in many renditions outside Lutheranism goes “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear / And grace my fears relieved. / How precious did that grace appear / The hour I first believed.” When we sing this hymn, we do very well without this verse. Why? Because it simply is not true.

Grace is not what teaches the heart to fear. Think about it. There is nothing at all fearsome about grace. What is there to fear in the unmitigated, unbridled, unfiltered love of God poured out upon you because of the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross? Are you afraid because your sins have been forgiven, your life is secure in Christ, and your heavenly home is prepared for you? Grace does not teach you to fear. Grace only makes you unafraid.

But does that mean that you should not fear anything?

Eat With Your Ears

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

What do you have that was not a gift? What do you have that you have not received from the hand of another? Your body is the product of the design of God and the flesh of man. Your life is a gift sustained by the providence of God. All that you have and all that you are is a gift from God, who has created you and called you into being.

What do you have that was not a gift? You have sin. You have the disease of concupiscence, that ancient evil infection that corrupts your entire being with a bottomless desire for all things opposed to God. This, even, was an inheritance received from your fathers and forefathers before you, who received it from their fathers, all the way back to our first-father, Adam. But your sin is your own. It is the product of your own sinful nature, which finds ever more inventive ways to flout the command and promise of God.

Come, Lord Jesus

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

Even if our spirits are willing, our flesh is weak. It is terribly difficult to subdue, and the things we would not do – the things we hate – those we do. It betrays us again and again. Our flesh is the seedbed of lust, gluttony, and avarice. All our deepest sorrows come from our sins.

The years sweep by and retrospect has little to show but a list of crimes, a catalogue of lies you have told, of promises you have forgotten, of slander that has risen up out of your hearts. Is it any wonder that our families are so broken? That our lives are so complicated? That the prisons are so full?

So too do we see in retrospect the signs of God’s wrath and the temporary character of this earth. Terrorists, earthquakes, divorce, and war all serve as warnings of the judgment to come. Nothing on earth is the same today as it was a year ago. If we get one step forward, we still suffer two steps back. All things are in decay, are dying. We are in constant turmoil and change. Death is having its way. Only the Word of God never changes.

You Shall Bless the LORD Your God

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

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.” This is the instruction which Moses gives to the children of Israel, that they are to be careful to do all which the Lord has commanded them.

But notice that the Lord attaches a threefold promise to His commandment: that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give. The Lord has already sworn to give good gifts to His people. Now, all they must do is follow the rules He has set forth in order to receive them.

We sing the hymn:

The Law of God is good and wise
And sets His will before our eyes,
Shows us the way of righteousness,
And dooms to death when we transgress (LSB 579.1).

"The Lamb Who Died"

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

There is something to be said about the fact that the preparers of our lectionary, whoever they be, appointed this scene from the crucifixion of our Lord to be the Gospel lesson for the last Sunday in the Church year. In Year A, the year ends with a vision of the final judgment, where we see the sheep and the goats separated and sent into their respective homes for eternity. In Year B, we are left with the promise that the Word of the Lord remains forever, and with the charge from our Lord: “Stay awake.”

But this year, you have heard from the pen of St. Luke the first words of Jesus from the Cross. And how fitting it is that, at the end of time (so to speak), we hearken back to the beginning of the End.

John Calvin once called the shouts and jeers and mocking of the crowds, the insults of the Jews, and the scoffing of the impenitent thief a “premature triumph” on the part of the devil. The devil and his minions looked around and saw that they had Jesus under their thumb. He was beated, scourged, bloody, and broken. The Son of God was about to die. And would God save Him? “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

Settle Your Minds

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

“They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.” This is what is coming to you, declares the Lord. You will be delivered over to those who hate you, and brought before those who ridicule you for the sake of Christ. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.

Bearing witness will not be fun. It will not be easy. It will not win you any popularity contests in the public square. Bearing witness to the Truth in the midst of a world of lies and deception is hazardous to your health.

Let me tell you the story of a young man named Ivan. Ivan was a soldier in the Red Army of the USSR in 1970. And Ivan was a Christian. He was not shy about his faith. Ivan was a dutiful soldier and an honorable citizen, even in the midst of a thoroughly disrespectable society.

Whose Is She?

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

“Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship” (2 Thess. 2:3-4). The son of destruction will be revealed at the coming of the Lord in His kingdom. This is promised by the Holy Spirit, as recorded by St. Paul.

And so it happens. The man of lawlessness is revealed. The son of destruction comes to light. Sometimes he ventures into the light all on his own, as though he could get away with mischief in broad daylight. Other times he sneaks out under the cover of some shadow, some ruse that he thinks will cloak him with stealth, so that he can lead off captive the sons of light.

The Sadducees are the face and the mouthpiece of the son of destruction in today's text. But they are not alone. The Pharisees and scribes are right there alongside them on the Temple Mount. The Herodians have just finished trying to trick the Lord of Glory with their false questions. Read through all of Luke chapter 20, and you might marvel at how the devil can unite such diverse and ordinarily opposed people and groups in the effort to unseat the Lord of Hosts.

Change, Or Not

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

Congregations, like human beings, grow old. A large congregation once filled these pews. You may become nostalgic for the olden day. A century ago people walked to church, walked to work, walked to school, walked to the store. Now we drive everywhere.

A photograph taken of the congregation from the pulpit today would be different from a picture taken ten years ago. A picture taken from the back pews toward the chancel would be just as different. Faces you thought you would never forget have slipped over the cliff of your memory. If “all the world is a stage” where we all are actors, so is the church.

Pastors and people are constantly changing, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Since the Church is His Body, she also stays the same. Perhaps a church that advertises itself as “contemporary” is no church at all. The true Church has one Baptism and she partakes of the one spiritual food in the Holy Sacrament. She reads the same Scriptures, hears the same Gospel, and sings the same liturgies and hymns. St. Paul said that there is one Church, one Spirit, one Lord Jesus, and one God and Father of all.

What Does Christ Say?

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

Today we observe Reformation Day, one of the festivals completely unique to Lutheranism. But what is it we commemorate on this day? Historically, we commemorate the supposed posting of the 95 Theses by Martin Luther on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. But so what? What is the heritage that we, who bear the name Lutheran, have inherited from this event nearly five hundred years ago?

The heritage we celebrate today is nothing short of our identity. Consider this – what is a Lutheran? Simply an adherent to Martin Luther's teaching?

Faithful Lutherans are those who remain steadfastly in the Word of the Lord, standing with Martin Luther and confessing with him: “Holy Scripture and God's Word should be the empress that man follows directly and should obey what it says, and speak no word against it; for it is the mouth of God” (Erlangen 61:107).

God-Breathed and Useful

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

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Great news. We like things that are profitable, things that are useful, things that have value and purpose. So it is good news when the Apostle tells us that all Scripture is profitable. And it is even God-breathed – inspired, as some translations render it.

Indeed, all Scripture is God-breathed, God-inspired. All Scripture is breathed out by God, because all Scripture is about God. Jesus is the sum total and the content of the Scriptures. The Law and the Psalms and the Prophets all testify of Him and His saving promises to the children of Israel. The Gospels and the Epistles and all the historical books all record the mighty acts of the Lord for His people. All Scripture is God-breathed, because all Scripture is God, enrobed in the mask of ordinary human words and phrases and sentences and grammar. And therefore, because God is true, faithful, and unchanging, so also is His Word always true, faithful, and unchanging. The Word of the Lord remains forever.

“The Hand of the Lord Has Gone Out Against Me”

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

Naomi had a rough go of things. She and her husband had picked up and moved from Israel to Moab because of the drought and famine, leaving their family, their inheritance, and their way of life to cross the Jordan into a foreign land with a strange people and pagan gods. Then they got there and settled down and attempted to make a life for themselves. Their sons even married Moabite women. But then first Naomi's husband died, and then both her sons died, without leaving any children.

Naomi was stuck. Without a husband or sons to provide for her, she was bankrupt. Without a people or inheritance, she had no place and no living. And besides that, she had her daughters-in-law also to provide for. The pleasant things in her life had become bitter – hence her name change. She had lost the things she held most dear, and so she cried out, “The hand of the Lord has gone out against me!”

"If You Had Faith"

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

How many of you are of like mind? Chances are, not many, if any at all. Being of like mind is not something that happens much these days. In fact, in some circles, it is labeled as conformity, groupthink, or mindlessness. One might argue that it is the American way to be un-like-minded, to intentionally hold thoughts and opinions contrary to the rest.

It has been asserted in various contexts that the Church is merely a voluntary association of like-minded individuals, coming together around a common cause. If that is the case, then we should consider the Masonic Lodge, the AARP, the Farm Bureau, and a great many other organizations to be Church. After all, they are all voluntary associations of like-minded individuals.

The Angels of the Little Ones

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

Not like a man with intellect and reason and experience, not like a seasoned veteran of war, not like a teacher with initials and degrees come down from the ivory tower, or even like a man who has run a business and shown a profit, but like a child, a little one, you must become. You must give up your airs, your status, your independence and control. You must be vulnerable. You must turn, repent, be converted and risk all on the simple trust that God is good, that He knows best, and that He will take care of you. That, dear friends, is faith.

So it is that greatness in the Kingdom of heaven is measured differently than greatness in the kingdoms of men. For the greatest and most wonderful thing in the Kingdom of heaven is the most despised and pitiable thing in the kingdoms of men, even the unjust, brutal, and bloody execution of Our Lord. In Christ's kingdom, where Grace rules, weakness is strength, poverty is riches, and dependence and vulnerability are virtues.

+ The Feast of St. Matthew +

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

Today we take the opportunity to remember the author of the first book of the New Testament. St. Matthew, also known as Levi, identifies himself as a former tax collector, one who was therefore considered unclean, a public sinner, outcast from the Jews. And yet, our Lord saw fit to call him from his tax collector's booth and make him to be an apostle and evangelist. St. Matthew's “book of the genesis of Jesus Christ” portrays Christ especially as the new and greater Moses, who graciously fulfills the Law and the Prophets, and establishes a new covenant in and with His own blood.

Matthew's Gospel is also well-known and beloved for his record of the visit of the Magi, for the Sermon on the Mount, including the Beatitudes and the fullest text of the Lord's Prayer (as we will pray it momentarily); and for the institution of Holy Baptism and the most explicit revelation of the Holy Trinity.

Tradition is uncertain where St. Matthew's final field of labor was, or whether he died naturally or was martyred – he may have been burned, stoned, or beheaded – but he died confessing the faith, and left behind his Gospel account, which continues to shape the Church to this day. In celebrating his feast day today, we therefore give thanks to God that He has mightily governed and protected His Holy Church through this man who was called and sent by Christ to serve the sheep of His pastures with the Holy Gospel.

The Gospel is for Sinners

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

Pastors are rotten people. There's no two ways about it. You might think that your pastor, or the pastors you have admired in the past, are good people. You might think that they are holy men, honest and good and diligent servants of the Lord. But you would be wrong. Pastors are lousy people. Poor, miserable, sinners – the whole lot of them.

On the outside, it seems like pastors are good people. But on the inside they can be as filthy as a sealed tomb. Pastors are blasphemers, taking the Word of God and using it to their own advantage, twisting it to say what they want. They are persecutors, using their influence and control to achieve their own desires, rather than the will of the Lord. The are ignorant, whether it be of church history or the Scriptures, or of the Lutheran Confessions, or whether they are ignorant and uncaring regarding the customs of the parish.

You Cannot Be A Disciple of Jesus

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

In today's Gospel lesson, Jesus talks about who cannot be His disciple. There are certain things in life which disqualify you from being a disciple of Jesus. And He lays those out today.

But first, let us take note of what does not disqualify a person from being a disciple of Jesus. It is not who you are that disqualifies you. It is not what you have done in the past that makes you ineligible. It is not what you look like, or the condition of your body, or the thoughts that run through your mind that keeps you out. It is not where you come from or your religious pedigree or your ethnic heritage that prevent you.

Same-sex attraction does not prevent you from being a disciple of Jesus. Having had, or having been party to, an abortion does not prevent you from being a disciple of Jesus. Having killed someone, for any reason, does not prevent you from being a disciple of Jesus. Having voted for Barack Obama, or for Ronald Reagan, does not prevent you from being a disciple of Jesus. Being blind, deaf, dismembered, disfigured, disabled, dysfunctional, or disturbed does not prevent you from being a disciple of Jesus.

Three things disqualify you. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple … any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

You cannot be a disciple of Jesus if you do not hate your family. You cannot be a disciple of Jesus if you do not hate even your own life. This sounds harsh, and rightly so. But hate does not mean what popular culture takes it to mean nowadays. Hate does not mean simply a strong feeling against, a revulsion. Hate here is the opposite of love. Both love and hate are matters of action and choice, rather than emotion. When you love someone or something, you will always act in a positive manner with regard to that person or thing. Conversely, when you hate something, you will act contrary to it, or at least without regard for it.

So when Jesus says to hate your family and even your own life, He is not calling for you to abandon them, or for you to do something despicable to yourself or anyone else. He is calling for you to put aside the thought that your family and your life are the highest good in life, the thing most to be cherished and protected. Family is good, but not when it pulls you against the calling of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God.

Likewise, Jesus says that if you will not bear your own cross and follow Him, you cannot be His disciple. What is your cross? You each have a cross to bear, both individually and corporately. Together, you bear the yoke of Christ. You bear the confession of His Name and His Gospel like a yoke which you carry about everywhere you go, whatever you do. You carry about the death of Jesus in your body so that the life of Jesus may be made manifest in you. You bear with one another, encouraging, correcting, supporting, forgiving.

But you also each bear your own crosses. You each have your own struggles with sin, death, and the devil. You fight illness and disease, the ravages of time and death upon your body. You war against the sins which beset you again and again. The old Adam, though he be drowned, is a very good swimmer. This is the cross you must bear. You live in this body of sin, continually struggling against the flesh to do what the Spirit and the Law require.

This is where we come back to my earlier point. Your sins, simply taken, do not disqualify you from following Jesus. It is not like in the days of the Temple, when being castrated barred a man from worshipping in the holy places. There is no knife-stroke, no wicked deed, no horrible thought or action that cuts you off from Jesus. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

What disqualifies you is when you will not take up your cross and follow Him. That is, when you will not confess your sins, push the old Adam back down under the blessed flood, and yoke yourself to Christ, rather than to your own intentions and desires. To take up your cross is to put down your own baggage, your sin and evil desires, your wants and sins and lusts, and to pick up the things of Christ – redemption, salvation, and eternal life.

You must carry the cross through life, because it is your life. The burden of the Christian life is that you are not now perfect, nor shall you ever be this side of eternity. Neither is your neighbor. There are some among you who struggle with attraction for those who are not their spouses. There are some who struggle with ungodly desire for alcohol, or food, or money. There are some who struggle with sins of the tongue, or unruly temper. There are some who struggle with evil decisions they have made in the past. And you will, you must keep struggling against these persistent sins.

But you are yoked to Christ. Picking up the cross, it is now His burden that you carry, not your own. Therefore, no matter what your sin is, you lay it aside, confessing it and your inability to free yourself from it, and then take up the cross of Christ and carry it through your life, bearing it about as the life that lives within you. All sins, no matter how great or small, how despicable or respectable, are cast aside when you bear your cross and follow Christ. If you will not do this, you cannot be a disciple of Christ.

Finally, Jesus says, you cannot be His disciple if you will not renounce all that you have. You might almost consider this a restatement of the previous two conditions. You must hate all worldly things, and you must set them all aside, so that you can take up the cross of Christ and follow Him through death into life. If you will not do this, but prefer to cling to the things of this world, then you will share the fate of the things of this world, which is to pass away under God's wrath and condemnation.

Today's Old Testament lesson sets before you what appears to be a choice between two paths: life and good, or death and evil. Sit in the seat of scoffers, or walk in the way of the righteous. But there is a problem here. Dead people do not make choices. You sit in the seat of scoffers, because you are already dead, just like all the other inhabitants of that seat. Dead in your sins and trespasses. Dead to God and dead to deciding anything for yourself.

But this is the miracle of the matter – God has already chosen for you! He has chosen you from before the foundation of the world and appointed you unto salvation. He has loved and desired you, such that He has called you to be His own, and to live under Him in His kingdom in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

Christ Jesus our Lord has chosen you to be His own. He has called you by name; you are His. He has created you in His image, and recreated you in the glory and splendor of His majesty. He has shed His blood for you, that He might wash you clean of all sin, of all blemish and stain and wrinkle. He has forgiven you all your sins, and made you pure and clean and holy. He has presented, and is still daily presenting you to Himself as His pure and holy Bride, His beloved among all creation.

He has chosen to give you the land you are entering, where you now are. That is, He has chosen to give you the kingdom of heaven. He is giving you all of His inheritance forever.

So count the cost. What are you getting into? You have to hate your family. You have to carry the burden of Christ's cross, you have to renounce your worldly desires.

But you have the joy of the forgiveness of sins. You have the promise of life everlasting. You have the inheritance of heaven. You have the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding.

You have life. So choose life. Choose to keep what God has given you. Choose to live in Christ, rooted like a tree planted by streams of living water, whose leaves do not wither and fall. Choose to be established in the land of the living, that you may bear good fruit, being rooted in Him who is the Vine, who is your life. Choose life, that it may go well with you and that you may inherit the land which the Lord your God is giving to you. Choose the life that is already filling you, that you may life and multiply and receive the blessings which are already yours through Jesus Christ our Lord, for He is your life and your length of days.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

What Do You See?

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

In today's Gospel lesson, Jesus has been invited to a dinner at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees. Maybe you have been to a dinner like this one: the important people are all invited, each person for a specific reason and according to a specific protocol. The mix of people there is carefully crafted to elicit the desired social result. Jesus is there because they want to see how He behaves in this setting. Can our Lord behave Himself? Will He eat nicely and be gracious to His host, or will he cause an upset and a scene, as He is wont to do in more public places?

Jesus is invited to this dinner as a test. Well, actually three tests, if you will. The Pharisees are seeking to test Jesus, and they expect Him to fail. But Jesus will turn the tables, and show them their failings instead. For the Pharisees act only out of love for themselves, but Jesus looks in love at all those around Him, and He gives of Himself for their benefit, and not for His own gain and purposes.

Steadfast in the Word

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

Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word;

Curb those who by deceit or sword

Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son

And bring to naught all He has done (LSB 655.1).

Thus we sing, and thus we pray – that our Lord would keep us steadfast in His Word. Not in my word or your word, or the word of the false prophets of this or any age. Steadfast in His Word, which stands forever, true and certain and unchanging.

The Word of the Lord stands forever. Despite the changes and chances of life, it remains. Despite the whims and wishes of men, it remains. Despite the ignorance and foolishness of the world, it remains. The Word of the Lord remains forever, because the Word Incarnate remains forever. God does not change, and so neither does His Word. He is not false, and neither is it.

+ Robert Martin Jensen +

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

On this day, in the midst of grief and sorrow, the words of the prophet Isaiah ring forth,

“Behold, God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation.”

The Lord God is your strength and your song, because He indeed is your salvation. Just as He has been the salvation for Bob, and for all those blessed dead who have departed this life in faith in the Son of God. God is the salvation of all those whose lives are secure in the life of Christ Jesus our Savior. Therefore, you shall trust and not be afraid, but be at peace.

"Amen, O hear us, Lord!"

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

Our Father, who from heav'n above

Bids all of us to live in love

As members of one family

And pray to You in unity,

Teach us no thoughtless words to say

But from our inmost hearts to pray (LSB 766).

Our Father in heaven bids us to pray, and in today's Gospel lesson, His Son, our brother, teaches us how to pray, so that we may pray not with thoughtless words and unsure hearts, but with faith and confidence, believing that He will give us all that we need.

For you, O Christians, have the joyous Word and promise that God is with His people. He is with you every moment of your life, from the instant of conception until the end of your last breath, and then He continues to preserve you in glory in His eternal, heavenly kingdom. Your God is not distant or far off or caught away in the furthest heavens, far removed from you. No – your God is Immanuel, God-With-Us.

Samaritan Ethics

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

God does not need your works, but He commands you to do good works. Your neighbor needs your good works, but cannot command you to do them. This is where the love of God and the love of your neighbor intersect, as we see in today's Gospel lesson.

A lot of ink has been spilled about Law and Gospel, and the Law/Gospel turnabout in this passage, generally focusing on the account that Jesus tells, rather than the discussion in which it happens. You have heard it before: you are the man beaten and left for dead, Jesus is the Samaritan who picks you up out of the ditch, the Church is the inn, and the oil and wine and so forth are the Means of Grace.

However, this passage, in its greater context, is a discussion about the Law and about ethics, before one ever lays on the typological interpretations. Ethics is generally understood as determining, and then doing, the best good thing. Ethics is about knowing and doing the right thing, whatever the circumstances.

Who is Jesus?

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

We remember this day the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, missionary preachers to the Jews and Gentiles. We thank God for them. For they were men obsessed not with speculation about what Jesus would do or about how we should behave or believe. They were men inspired by God to care for nothing but the saving reality of who Jesus is. Red adorns the Altar this day not to remind us so much of the blood that they shed, but to remind us of the Blood by which they were transferred into heaven. For that Blood, shed for them and for us, by God in our Flesh, is also poured forth this day from the Chalice to cleanse your lips and inspire your confession.

On this day, we commemorate not primarily Peter and Paul, but their confession – their answer to the question “Who do you say that I am?”

Here I Am

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

Sometimes God gives object lessons – case studies, if you will, that show what He has said before in a more concrete way. If you do not understand what He has said before, He will spell it out in a way that might make sense before your eyes.

Today, one might say that that God has given a sort of case study on Isaiah. The prophet spoke the Word of the Lord to the people of Judah all those centuries ago, and sometimes the prophets can seem a bit murky. In today's Old Testament lesson, he speaks of the Lord coming to His people and finding a rabble who did not seek Him or ask for Him. He found a rebellious people doing their own thing, doing things which were detestable under the Law. His people were eating pork, making illicit sacrifices, and making their dwelling place among tombs and in the places of the dead.

“I Have Something to Say to You”

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

Jesus is no stranger to sinners. He is surrounded by them, and He knows it. In fact, He knows every sin of everyone He meets, before a person even opens his mouth. Jesus eats with sinners, touches sinners, worships with sinners, lives with sinners, and dies with sinners.

In today's Gospel lesson, Jesus eats with sinners. Not just the woman, whom tradition identifies as a prostitute, but also the Pharisee who thinks he lives a more holy life than Jesus. Sinners are all around, and Jesus deals with each sort in turn. The same treatment will not apply to both the woman and Simon the Pharisee.

The woman, whom the Church has traditionally identified as Mary Magdalene, is a sinner of the worst kind, at least in the eyes of her community. She lives in open, manifest sin. Prostitution is not something one does secretly, after all. One must attract business to ply the trade. She is a woman of ill-repute, some of which is probably deserved. She probably bears the marks of her trade – well-coiffed hair, gilded and painted face, plentiful jewelry. When she walks through town, she is a marked woman, known for what she is and scorned because of it. She might as well be wearing a scarlet letter, for as much ability as she has to live privately.

Fear and Mercy

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

Our Lord came into this world to lay down His life as a sacrifice. But He seems to get distracted, almost impatient, along the way. Consider today's Gospel lesson – the widow in Nain. Our Lord knows the boy will be raised on the last day and the widow's grief will come to an end. But when He sees her sorrow, perhaps thinking also of His own mother, He is moved by compassion. He acts right then.

It is the same with all His miracles. None of them are planned. All of them are spontaneous. All of them, even the withering of the fig tree, come from Our Lord's compassion and serve to re-order creation.

The miracle in Nain fills the people with fear. Then, immediately, they glorify God. And rightly so. Our Lord's compassion should scare you. Because it is holy, pure, and focused. It is hard for sinners, at first glance, to distinguish it from His wrath. It is more absolute, more solid, more unbending than anything of earth. Nothing of the Lord is cotton balls and marshmallows. Even His mercy is severe.

Who is Worthy?

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

Who is worthy to receive the gifts of God? Who is worthy to receive anything at all from God, other than wrath and condemnation? That is the question today's text sets before us.

In Capernaum, there was a centurion – a commander in the Roman army – who had a slave who was highly valued by him. This centurion was wealthy enough to have a well-filled household. He probably was also a God-Fearer, a Gentile convert to Judaism – or at least one who had heard the Torah and was what we might call a catechumen. After all, he was well enough disposed toward the Jews to build for them a synagogue. This man was respected enough by the elders of the synagogue that they would go to Jesus and intercede for the centurion on behalf of the valued slave.

Memorial Day 2013

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

In the midst of life, we are in death;

from whom can we seek help?

From You alone, O Lord,

who by our sins are justly angered.

Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and merciful Savior,

deliver us not into the bitterness of eternal death.

We stand here, alive and well today, yet surrounded by death. A cemetery is a great reminder of the fact of our own mortality. The grass grows green and the trees sway, and on a quiet day you can hear the birds and animals from the woods nearby. And yet here we are surrounded by death. Death stares us in the face. In the midst of life, we are in death. Who will save us from this?

Worship and Believe

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

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And it was good. God saw all that He had made, and He called it very good. And so it was. Nothing that God creates is bad. God created all things, and without Him was nothing made that has ever existed.

All things were perfectly arranged. The sea had its course and the dry land its bounds. The night and the day, the heaven and the earth, all had their times and motions and seasons. Every tree and plant and herb brought forth fruit and seed, each according to its own kind. All the animals of the earth grew and thrived. And God created man to be the pinnacle of creation, the bearer of the image of God in the flesh. Everything was perfect, precisely according to the plan and purpose of God.

But, then, this begs the question: who is this God?

The Language of the Church

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

In the beginning, the people of the world were of one set of words. In all the earth, there was one set of words. A unity, if you will, of the tongue. Genesis literally reads that the people were of one lip. Among all the children of Adam, one language encompassed the world.

And this unity of words led them to plot evil against God. Being of one lip, the people could conspire together, and this allowed them to cook up the scheme of building a great city and a tall tower to reach up into the heavens. Their unity of words bred pride in their hearts. They were proud that they could band together and accomplish anything under the sun, whatever they set their hands to.

"That They May All Be One"

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us.” Jesus prays this, as part of His High Priestly Prayer on Holy Thursday.

He prays for the Church, and He prays for you. Jesus prays for those who believe through the apostolic Word, by the work of the Holy Spirit. He prays for you, each of you individually, and all of you corporately, as the members of His Body. This prayer, which our Lord prayed on the night in which He was betrayed, is for you. He prayed this for you, as He gave His disciples His own Body and Blood, which He still gives to you to make you one with Him.

When you consider the past two millennia and some of church history, it is an amazing feat the the one holy catholic and apostolic Church still exists.

Ask the Father

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

“Whatever you ask of the Father in My Name, He will give it to you.” Thus Jesus promises the disciples before He departs from this world. The people of God will not be left stranded, but the Father will look out for their well-being. All they need do is ask in Jesus' name, and trust God to give what they need.

On this occasion, Jesus gives a lesson about how Christians ought to pray. “Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.” Ask the Father for what you need, and He will give it to you, in order that your joy might have been fulfilled. You have not because you ask not. Just ask for what you need and God will give it.

A New Song

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,

for He has done marvelous things!

His right hand and His holy arm

have worked salvation for Him. (Psalm 98:1).

Rejoice, give thanks, and sing! Praise the Lord, for He has triumphed over His enemies, and your victory is won! The mighty arm of the Lord has stretched out against the powers of sin, death, and hell, and He has won salvation for you, His people.

Rejoice, you faithful people, because God has created all things anew. The heavens and the earth have been changed, in the twinkling of an eye, in the space of a breath. Our Lord Christ breathed out, “It is finished,” and gave up the Ghost. And in that instant, the battle was won. The old has finished; the new has begun. He has risen from the dead, lives, and reigns to all eternity. The power of the devil is ended.

My Sheep Know Me

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

Jesus was walking in Solomon's Portico in the Temple, and the Jews came to Him and asked Him to declare plainly to them whether He was the Christ. Their souls were in suspense. They were waiting with baited breath – among other things. Would Jesus just please come out with it – Are you the Christ, or not?

And what would have been the benefit if Jesus had declared Himself openly, as they sought? The Jews were anxious, nearly beside themselves with anticipation of Him doing anything, saying anything at all that might make Him liable for judgment, so that they could get Him out of their way, by hook or by crook. They knew who and what Jesus was, for they had been following Him throughout His ministry. They had heard the reports and the testimonies of the crowds. They had seen the signs He had performed.

Gone Fishing

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

Last week, you heard how Jesus appeared to His disciples in the locked room. And not just once, but twice. He broke into their sad reverie and breathed His peace upon them. Then He told them not to just sit there. “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me,” He told the women (Mt. 28:10). And so the disciples went to Galilee, and there they waited for the Lord.

You can almost picture their restlessness. They were not afraid, because Jesus had given them His pervading peace, but they were not at ease. After all, their fear is gone, but so is their Lord. What will happen now? Go to Galilee. Hurry up and wait. The Spirit will come, someday. Eventually you will see Jesus. And then what?

Rejoice, O Highly Favored One!

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

Today we are gathered to confess and adore a sacred mystery. We are gathered to bow our knees and lift up our hearts at the Name of the Lord who did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but took up residence in the flesh of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We bow the knee in humble confession that our Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God before all worlds, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man. God is made man. The King of the Universe inhabits the womb of a virgin.

Rejoice and sing, o you faithful people! God has deigned to dwell with His creation. He has descended to earth and taken up human flesh and blood in the womb of a virgin, just as He foretold by the prophets of old. Rejoice and sing for joy that the Lord who is and who was and who is to come, the Living One, has received life from the flesh of Mary. Blessed is she who is found worthy to be called the Mother of God! And more blessed is the fruit of Her womb, Jesus!

Not Doubting, But Believing

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

The women had come and declared to the apostles what they saw and heard from the angels at the empty tomb, but they wrote it off as fairy tales, as the prattle of grief-wracked women. Peter and John had gone running to the tomb, and they saw nothing inside. They believed that Jesus was gone. But what did that mean? And so they huddled in the locked room, fearing the Jews and waiting for something to happen.

And that evening, while they were locked in their little cell, Jesus came and stood among them, in the flesh. And the Lord spoke to His disciples: “Peace be with you.” That is, Look, I am with you. I have come to you again, and I bring you My peace.

+ Walter H.W. Thies +

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Many years ago, this verse - Isaiah 54:10 - was given to Walter Henry William Thies as his confirmation verse. It has stood him in good stead throughout his life, and it now provides a message of great comfort and peace for us who mourn his death.

Mountains may depart and hills may be removed. Think of how the landscape around you has changed throughout the years. Think of how your families, your communities, your congregations have changed throughout the years. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, so quickly and silently carries the world through the ages. Nothing stands still in this life. As King Solomon said, there is a season for everything, and a time for everything under the sun. There is a time to live and a time to die, a time to laugh and a time to mourn, for all of us.

"Remember How He Told You"

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

On the first day of the week, after the Passover had ended, the faithful women who had ministered to Jesus throughout His earthly ministry came to do their fallen Lord one last service. They came bringing spices to do for Him according to the custom of the Jews, that they might prepare His body properly, since there had not been time to do so on Friday, before the start of the Sabbath. They came with heavy hearts and downcast spirits.

No doubt, the events of the past weekend were a shock to the system. They had, in the course of one week, seen the crowds adoring the Lord Jesus Christ as the coming king who would sit on the throne of David. They had witnessed Jesus overturning the marketplace set up in the Temple precincts. They had heard His wondrous but perplexing preaching.

The Light Is Dawned

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

Break forth, O beauteous heav'nly light,

And usher in the morning.

Ye shepherds, shrink not with afright,

The day of grace is dawning.

This Child, though weak in infancy,

Our confidence and joy shall be,

The pow'r of Satan breaking,

Our peace with God now making (LSB 378.1).

Rejoice, O you faithful people! Shout for joy to the Lord! The light has broken forth. The long, dark night of sin and death and sadness has ended. The beauteous heavenly light has broken out, and the glorious dawn of eternity has risen.

The Light of the World is risen upon you, and the day has banished the night forever. The lone star which led the way through the night and gave light to but a few has now become the Morning Star which shines on us and illuminates the whole universe. Night is turned to day. Death is turned to life. Mourning is turned to dancing. Weakness is turned to triumph.

The Works of the Lord

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

“The right hand of the Lord has struck with power!” With great power and might, the mighty arm of the Lord has gone forth into the deep darkness, and He has struck with all the power of heaven. The Lord of Hosts has stretched forth His hand and has triumphed gloriously!

Christ our Lord has been crucified and has died. And this is glorious in our eyes! For this is the great glory by which the Lord of heaven stretches forth His mighty right hand. He does not stretch forth His hand in warfare. He does not stretch forth His hand to smite the sinners from the earth. He does not stretch forth His hand to drub Satan into the ground before the world's eyes.

The Suffering of Jesus

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

We gather again this evening to meditate on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we mark how the Lamb of God offers Himself up for the sins of the world. But this is no funeral service. We are not here to mourn over the dead body of Jesus. Rather, we are here to meditate upon His passion in a more fruitful, more excellent way. We, therefore, meditate on the three-fold suffering of Christ upon the cross.

First, of course, consider the physical suffering of the cross and the events leading up to it. Our Lord has not eaten since the Passover meal He partook with the apostles the on the night when He was betrayed. He was beaten, first by the guards of the Sanhedrin, then by Herod's soldiers, and then by Pilate's men. He was whipped and scourged until His flesh hung in ribbons. A crown of thorns was fashioned and struck into His flesh. Spikes of iron were driven into His wrists and feet. He was suspended high in the air, exposed to the elements. He was fed vinegar.

All His Benefits

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

Tonight we have gathered to mark the beginning of the Triduum, the last three days of our Lord's Passion. Tonight you have heard the account of the institution of the Lord's Supper, the inauguration of the new covenant in the blood of Christ. And tonight you have sung the offertory Psalm. And it is to this psalm we turn our meditations.

“What shall I render to the Lord?” you have sung. What shall you render to the Lord? What will you give back to God? How will you give anything back to God? Is there anything which you might have that God wants?

Of course, you want to. It is human nature to want to give back. In this life, nothing is free. There is always some string attached. Even if you do not see the price tag now, somewhere along the line it will cost you. Better to deal with the obligations up front than be surprised later.

Fearful Foreshadowing

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

I. Fearful Foreshadowing

Already it is clear: There will be trouble.

Moses is speaking to the Israelites one last time. They are about to enter the Promised Land, while it is time for him to climb Mount Nebo and die. These are his last words to the people that he has led as a called servant of the Lord; he preaches the Word of the Lord, sings his final song.

It has been a long haul, this journey: No sooner were the Israelites safe from Egypt that they built agolden calf and elected to call it their god. The Lord mercifully spared them that day, but other apostasy would follow. The disobedience of the people has made it a very long haul, for they were rewarded with forty extra years in the desert because of their doubt.

Now they are to enter, and Moses speaks one last time.

Who Is This Man?

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

He was the most awesome dude around. He had a huge entourage. Crowds literally ran from city to city just to get a glimpse of him. He was constantly surrounded with adoring fans and celebrity-hounds. People would mob him just to touch his clothes. If you wanted to get into the most exclusive places, to be with the “in crowd”, he was the guy to follow. If he were on Twitter, he would have been trending constantly.

He was the guy that everybody loved and hated all at once. All the ladies wanted him, and all the men wanted to be him. They were jealous because they could not lay claim to his allegiance. He could steal their loved ones away in a heartbeat, with just a look or greeting. He melted hearts and altered lives.

The Son and the Stone

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

In today's Gospel lesson, Jesus tells a parable to the people, neither the subject nor the interpretation of which are particularly difficult to grasp. The theme of the careful vineyard owner and his unfruitful vineyard echo throughout the Scriptures, and especially from the Song of the Vineyard in Isaiah chapter five.

In the parable, as St. Luke records it, the Lord of the vineyard planted the vineyard and then leased it to some tenant-farmers. Then he went away for a long time. At the right time, he sent a servant to collect the rent. But the tenants would not give it, and instead they beat the servant and threw him out. The landlord sent a second, and then a third servant. And each time the tenants treated the servant worse than the one before. But still no rent paid.

Jesus Died for Preaching

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

The Word they still shall let remain

Nor any thanks have for it;

He's by our side upon the plain

With His good gifts and spirit.

And take they our life,

Goods, fame, child, and wife,

Though these all be gone,

Our vict'ry has been won;

The Kingdom ours remaineth (LSB 656.4).

The devil and his minions in the world hate the Word of God. He would love nothing more than to see the Word extinguished, or at least hidden away in some dark, dusty corner and forgotten forever. The devil can abide the Word existing, but he cannot abide His being preached, proclaimed, or believed in any real way.

The devil would be just fine with letting the Word of God out in the world, if it were retold as some sort of neat story or historical narrative. He will let scholars use it in reconstructing the timeline of the evolution of religion and philosophy. He will sit back as self-proclaimed experts in the Bible attempt to tell the world what the Good Book says, as long as it has nothing to do with Jesus, the Gospel, or actually repentance and forgiveness of sins.

There Was A Man Who Had Two Sons

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

Who doesn’t like a good story of redemption? Stories of people who have lost it all, been trod under by humanity at large; been addicts, boozers or whores; a thief, an adulterer, a publican, a tax collector, a prostitute or a prodigal and then by the grace of God have been restored. Angels sing, orchestras swell, and a tear forms in our eye as the words I once was lost but now am found echo through the canyons of our minds: Twas grace that brought me safe this far and grace will lead me home.

  The more massive the sin, the more horrendous the act, the sweeter that voyage home is – and the Prodigal Son certainly is no disappointment. He walked out of his home, walked out on his father, leaving his virtue, humility and godliness at the farm gate.