Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: Leviticus 19,1-3.13-18.33-34. Trinity XIII

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Leviticus 19,1-3.13-18.33-34. Trinity XIII

Leviticus 19,1-3.13-18.33-34 4724

Trinity XIII 60

Louis IX, King of France, ✠ 1270

25. August 2024

1. ℣ Behold Your testimony:

℟ Let not the humble be turned away (Psalm 73,20a-21a-7a vul lxx).

Respice in testamentum: ne avertatur humilis. lxx

Respice ad pactum: ne revertatur confractus. mas

O Gracious and Merciful God, You have preserved our going out and our entering in. Keep us in all our ways and show us kindness in body and soul. For all of this, we praise and magnify You with our whole heart! Amen. (Stark 11; English transl. 2).

2. »And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying: „Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You are holy, for I Yahweh your God am holy.“«

3. When you read Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, Israel is often depicted as unholy. God speaks through His Prophets and tells His people: you do this, this and this; you are unholy. Repent and return to Me, your God. »The word of Yahweh came to me: „Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them“« (Ezekiel 6, 1-2.6). »But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of Yahweh, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does Yahweh require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?« (Micah 3,8; 6,8). »„Behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the great and awesome day of Yahweh arrives. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction“« (Malachi 4,5-6).

4. 456 years (430 bc - ad 26) later God sent John the Baptizer, who was the Prophet Elijah in spirit, and he preached: »Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. O Pharisees and Sadducees, you brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves: ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is following me is mightier than me, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.« (Matthew 3,2.7-11).

5. The Prophets from Isaiah to John called Jews and Gentiles, you and me, to confess our sins, repent and turn to Christ. The Confession in the Office of Compline is simple yet rich: I confess to God … that I have sinned in thought, word and deed, by my fault, by my own fault, by my own most grievous fault; wherefore I pray God Almighty to have mercy on me (lsb 254). In this spirit, the tax collector prayed: »God, be merciful to me, the sinner!« (Luke 18,13)

6. The prayer of this tax collector is raw, humble and conscience stricken. He is the worst of sinners, the lowest of the low, and he pours out his grief over his sin to God. How often we pray like this collector! How often we pour out our heart and empty ourselves before God!

7. Jesus proclaimed: »I tell you, this tax collector went down to his house justified« (Luke 18,14). The tax collector is holy, for his God is holy. The Psalmist and Paul declare: »Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the one against whom Yahweh counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit« (Psalm 32,1-2; Romans 4,7-8).

8. We are righteous on account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Not only does His suffering and death remove all our iniquities, but He gives us His own righteousness as our own. By this imputation, we are righteous just as Christ is righteous. This isn’t a mere declaration, but a legal standing before God and a relational bond with our Heavenly Father where we stand before Him justified, not by our deeds, but by Christ’s perfection. Jesus sealed this transaction with His own shed blood.

9. »Our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works« (Titus 2,14). From this righteousness flows respect and charity for the neighbor. Our very works on behalf of our neighbor help and benefit them. God does not need our good works, but our neighbor does. „For here nothing else is necessary than faith, that I give God His due honor and regard Him as my God, who is just, truthful and merciful. Such faith liberates us from sin and all evil. Now when I have given God this honor, then whatever life I live, I live for my neighbor, to serve and help them. The greatest work that comes from this faith is this, that I confess with my mouth and, if it has to be, bear testimony with my blood and risk my life. God does not need this work; but I should do it to prove and confess my faith, in order that others, too, may be brought to faith. Then other works will follow. They must all tend to serve my neighbor. All this God must bring about in us. Therefore, we should not make up our minds to begin to lead a carnal life and to do whatever we please“ (WA XII,288-89; AE 30,32-33).

10. Let no desire or fear from You

In this world, turn me away;

Grant steadfastness unto You;

Until the end You alone hold sway;

And those to whom You give this grace,

Hold it freely,

Without cost,

No one can earn or by works,

Your favor, which saves the lost.

(Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ elkg 610,4 2021 Johann Agricola 1526/27)

This is most certainly true.

11. Et pax Dei, quæ exuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra, et intelligentias vestras in Christo Jesu. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

12. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who by Thy holy apostle hast taught us that, being members of one body, we are members one of another, give us grace to look not only on our own needs but also on the needs of others; to the glory of Thy Holy Name. Amen. (Trinity XIII, 2^nd Vespers Collect. The Daily Office.)

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Leviticus 19,1-3.13-18.33-34. Trinity XIII

No comments:

Post a Comment