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.