Hospitality

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

Today's text confuses a lot of people, even a lot of Lutherans. It seems to be contradictory to everything else that we believe, teach, and confess. All that business about salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone – that looks like it gets chucked out the window with this passage. After all, the King is basing His judgment on the works done by those on His right and left. This seems to lend itself to the idea that you will be judged on the works you have done, whether you have done enough to merit the favor of the King.

The Church of Rome reads this discourse in just such a fashion. To them, this passage is all about hospitality that you must show to your neighbor. Your faith is formed by your love, which is worked out in your service to your neighbor. This passage is straightforward Law: do this, and go to heaven; fail, and go to hell. Salvation cannot possibly be grace through faith alone; Jesus commend these faithful for their works of hospitality and service.

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.

Things Are Not Always As They Seem

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

If you have ever read or seen Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, you no doubt understand the saying, “things are not always as they seem”. Alice encounters one thing after another, in increasingly odd and peculiar situations. Cats come and go with a wink. Oysters and walruses are fond friends, for a time. Flamingoes are croquet mallets, and playing cards form a royal court. Flowers sing and caterpillars smoke hookahs. Nothing is as it ought to be.

How often do our lives feel like we have slipped down the rabbit hole! Those sworn to protect our Constitution are finding ways to end-run around it or nullify it. The rich are defrauding the poor by appearing as beggars. Marriage is divorced from God's plan, and so it seems to be whatever one wants it to be. Parents allow children to run their lives, and so ours has become a nation of overgrown children.