Psalm 36,6-7a.8-10; Matthew 5,6. 2. Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Psalm 36,6-7a.8-10; Matthew 5,6 3517

2. Trinitatis  047

Sosipater, Romans 16,21

Prosper of Aquitaine, 463 

Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, 1530

25. Juni 2017 

1. O Jesus Christ, Thou who answers the prayers of those who are in distress that call upon You, deliver us from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue and the slander of wicked people, so that our name and honor is upheld to the glory of Your Holy Name.  Amen. (Gradual).  

2. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast You save, O Lord. How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light. O continue Your steadfast love to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright of heart! 

  3. Jesus proclaims in His Beatitudes: »Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.« Our Lord has in mind the words of the Prophet Isaiah: »Thus says the Lord: Dray near, every one who thirsts, draw near to the waters« (Isaiah 55,1). And thus in this morning’s Gospel pericope Jesus declares: »Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the reign of God« (Luke 14,25). 

4. This is great news; it is the gospel! Naturally, everyone should want to receive and enjoy this blessing. But history shows that many would rather settle for the fading joys of this world than celebrate with the eternal joys of heaven. The Introit declares: »O Lord, Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like the great deep; You save both man and beast.« Yet, in today’s Gospel parable where Jesus discusses how His Father gives  out this blessing as a banquet feast, lo and behold, people make excuses why they cannot attend! (Luke 14,18). In the parable, the lord of the banquet becomes angry and refuses to let those with their excuses from tasting his banquet (Luke 14,21.24).  

5. Jesus told this parable while attending a meal at the home of a leader of the Pharisees (Luke 14,1). Those offering excuses in His parable referred to those Pharisees and other Jews who would not accept Jesus’ declaration to be the Messiah. They made excuses as to why they could not accept His claim. One reason they made excuses was because Jesus challenged their messianic preconceptions. Jesus preached not only to the Pharisees and the noble Jews, but also to the poor, sick and crippled; He welcomed women and children, Romans, Greeks and even Samaritans. His words of life were for all the nations, as St. Paul explains in his epistle: »There is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus, and ifs you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise« (Galatians 3,28-29). The irony was: poor Jews and even Gentiles were being welcomed into the reign of God by Jesus while the Pharisees, scholars and priests were choosing to forsake both their inheritance and salvation. 

6. Jesus’ parable taught the basic truth found in today’s Introit: »How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in You.« God the Father wants His banquet hall full for His grand celebration. He first invites the Jews to His meal, and with plenty of open tables, He then extends the invitation to the Gentiles. He welcomes in the poor, the crippled, blind and lame. He still has plenty of room, so He sends out His invitation far and wide to compel people to enter his banquet hall (Luke 14,21-24) where »they feast on the abundance of His house and He gives them drink from the river of His delights.« This cup overflows with God’s goodness and mercy (Psalm 23,5-6), »for with God is the Fountain of Life.« 

7. Yesterday was Midsummer on our calendar; it is the longest day of the year opposite that of the winter solstice in December with its hottest day and its liturgical antiphon: 

℣ O Morning Star, Splendor of Light Everlasting and Sun of Righteous- | ness: * 

℟ Draw near and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shad- | ow of death. 

Our Introit reminds us: »O Lord, in Your Light do we see light.« The Apostle John tells us that Jesus is the Light of the Lord who shines forth the grace and truth of His Father. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, the Light no darkness can vanquish (John 8,12; 1,5); His Light scatters the darkness and illumines His Church (1. Corinthians 4,5; 2. Corinthians 4,6). It is this Light, yea, Jesus Himself, that makes us righteous. As the sunlight scatters the darkness, so Jesus scatters our sins away. As the sunlight reveals the world as it is, so Jesus reveals that we are His Father’s beloved children. As the sunlight is essential for life on Earth to thrive, so Jesus is our True and Only Source of everlasting life. Just as His Divine Light will never fade, so too will our eternal life never draw to an end. 

8. »The Lord continues His steadfast love to those who know Him, and His righteousness to the upright of heart.« Draw near to the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the Fountain of eternal eternal life and the Light of God His Father. He is in heaven preparing a lavish banquet; His invitation has been sent to you: do not excuse yourself from His grace and generosity, for He desires to give you an inheritance full of blessing and eternal fellowship with Him.  Amen. 

9. Let us pray. O God, our Lord and our Strength, be Thou our Fortress and Deliverer, so that in time of need we may confidently lean upon You for our redemption and salvation.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4^th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27^th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.  

All quotations from the Book of Concord are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 12. Edition © 1998 by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.