Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: September 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Mark 12,28-35. 18th Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

Exodus 20,1-17. Mark 12, 28-35 4813

18. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 063

✠ Michael the Archangel and all angels. W ✠

29. September 2013

1. O Lord, we beseech Thee, grant Thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow Thee the Only God. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, 18. Sunday after Trinity). Amen.

2. And God spoke all these words, saying: „I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. I am your only God. Do not make any idols nor worship them. Do not take My Name in vain. Worship Me on the Sabbath. Honor your parents. Do not murder.Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not covet your neighbor’s possessions.“

3. The question was asked of Jesus: Which of these commandments is the greatest and noblest? Jesus had Ten Commandments to choose from. Jesus summarized the Decalogue, saying: „»Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.« The second is this: »You shall love your neighbor as yourself.«“ Jesus takes the Law (torah) seriously, and so should we. Jesus tells us that the heart and will of God is that we first love Him and then our neighbor. Jesus exhorts the proclamation of the psalmist, who says by Divine inspiration: »Blessed is the person whose delight is in the torah of Yahweh; and he meditates in His torah day and night« (Psalm 1,1-2).

4. This summation of the torah convicts many people. To the pious person who says: „I love God“, and worships God every week in church, gives a weekly offering, reads the Bible everyday and prays, but does not help or love his neighbor, such a person does not truly love God. To the philanthropist who says: „I love my neighbor“, and goes out of his way to help him, speaks well of him and gives liberally to charities, but does not love God or even denies His existence, such a person does not truly love his neighbor. The Apostle John exhorts us: »We love because God first loved us. If anyone says: „I love God“, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Jesus: whoever loves God must also love his brother« (1. John 4,19-21).

5. The two go together: love God and love your neighbor. Understanding this is one thing, but it is another to practice this commandment for loving God and our neighbor is a difficult thing to do. Even more difficult is the next question Jesus answered. The scribes and Pharisees taught that loving God and loving the neighbor were the heart of the torah. The scribes and Pharisees also taught that the Christ is the son of David (Mark 12,35). This is also a difficult teaching, for how can this be when David himself declared: »The Lord said to my Lord: „Be seated at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet“ (Mark 12,36). Jesus then said: »David calls the Christ his Lord, so how then is the Christ David’s son?« (Mark 12,37). While the scribes and Pharisees could understand that loving God and neighbor is the central commandment, they could not answer how the Christ could be both David’s son and Lord. They only thought in human terms. The Christ was to be a human descendant of King David. They did not entertain the understanding that the Christ would also be Divine. Many people today hold the same view of Jesus.

6. Many rob Christ of His Divine nature. To them He is merely a man, a teacher and a prophet, but the Holy Scriptures teach that Jesus is God. The Psalmist David, King of Israel, tells us that the Christ is both his descendent and his God. Mark the Evangelist, companion of both the Apostles Paul and Peter, begins his Gospel with these words: »The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.« The Christ is both God and man. He is one hundred percent Divine and at the same time He is one hundred percent human together in one, distinct Person, by the name Jesus bar-Joseph of Nazareth. Those who truly love God thus confess that Jesus is both God and man.

7. The torah (law) is summarized by love, and love is manifested in Christ Jesus. It is one thing to understand that the summary of the law is to love God and the neighbor, but it is another thing to keep that law. We are incapable of loving God and the neighbor as The Commandments require. What is impossible for sinful human beings is possible for God. Thus, Christ perfectly kept the law: He loves His Heavenly Father with all His heart and His neighbor as Himself. Jesus willingly became the Greater Isaac who was offered up by His Father for your sins. Jesus is the Second Adam who overcame the devil and freed Eve’s descendants from hellish tyranny. Jesus showed this unconditional love for God and neighbor on the cross.

8. People throw around the phrases „God is love.“ and „God is a loving God.“ so often that they have become like the adjective „nice“ ... they have lost a real meaning. To say God is love is to say that God is nice, for those phrases about God lack any meaning in our language without a qualifying example. God’s love truly is deep and wonderful. His love is not some Romantic sentiment or Victorian philosophical ideal, but „God is love“ is grounded in a real, harsh reality. Jesus really suffered; He was crucified upon a rough cross; He truly died and was buried in a tomb. Jesus endured these tribulations for the sake of the world and for you. Jesus on the cross is the fullest expression of God’s love for you, His neighbor. Jesus loves His Heavenly Father and His neighbor for He suffered in your place and He bore the punishment of your sins. Jesus took your spot so that God’s wrath would not strike you down. This, dear congregation, is love, yes, unconditional love of God and neighbor.

9. The reign of God is not far from you. God’s reign was manifested with a dead Jesus hanging on the cross and a living Jesus risen from His tomb three days later. The reign of God is in your midst, and you have access to Jesus, to God’s reign and its benefits through faith in Jesus. God the Father loves you. He has forgiven you. He now sanctifies you to love God and your neighbor, and through this love you bear forth the fruits of faith for God’s glory and your neighbor’s benefit. The Apostle John teaches: »Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. We love because He first loved us. (1. John 4,15-16.19).

10. May the Holy Spirit give you opportunities to draw your neighbors unto the threshold of the reign of God. May you invite your neighbors here on Sunday morning so they can experience the reign of God in Christ Jesus, for „through Christ, by His love for us, we are in the reign of God, not merely close to it. Is not it wonderful that we have such a lovable God?“ (Martens § 17). Yes, it is wonderful! You can now sit here today, and you can walk out these church doors, with full confidence that your sins are forgiven. On the last day when you stand face to face with God the Awesome Judge, you can stand before Him with all boldness and joy, for you will stand before the Great Judge with all your sins forgiven by the merit of Jesus. Truly our Triune God is a loving God! Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Lord, our Loving God, Your friendship is for those who fear You; in Your Begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, You have made known to us Your new testament so that we are assured of our forgiveness and salvation. Amen.

Christ crucified and risen for you

✠

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

Martens, Gottfried. A sermon preached on 11. October 2009 (18. Trinitatis) in Berlin-Zehlendorf, Germany on Mark 12,28-34. Copyright © 2011 St. Mary Church in Berlin-Zehlendorf (SELK). All rights reserved. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2011.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

John 9,35-41. 17. Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

John 9,35-41 4713

17. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 062

Jonah

Emmeran, Bishop, Apostle in Bavaria, Martyr 652

22. September 2013

1. Lord, we pray Thee that Thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works. Amen (The Book of Common Prayer, 17. Sunday after Trinity).

2. Jesus heard that the Pharisees had cast out from the synagogue the man who had been born blind that He had healed, and having found him Jesus said: „Do you believe in the Son of Man?“ He answered: „And who is he, sir, so that I may believe in him?“ Jesus said to him: „You have seen Him, and it is He who is speaking to you.“ He said: „Lord, I believe,“ and he worshiped Him. Jesus said: „For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.“ Some of the Pharisees near Him heard these things, and said to Him: „Are we also blind?“ Jesus said to them: „If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say: ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.“

3. Once again, our Gospel lection reveals another confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. This incident is so serious that the Pharisees kick a fellow Jew out of the synagogue. What had this man done to so incense the Pharisees? The man had been born blind. Jesus came upon him while He was in or around Jerusalem. Jesus had healed him and now he saw for the first time in his life.

4. One issue for the Pharisees was that Jesus had healed the man on the Sabbath. Healing was considered work, and work was forbidden on the Sabbath. »Some of the Pharisees said: „This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.“ But other Pharisees said: „How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?“ And there was a division among the Pharisees« (John 9,16). Just prior to the events of John 9, the Pharisees had wanted to stone Jesus to death because He claimed to be Yahweh Himself (John 8,58-59). In short order, a number of the Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the first three Commandments: Jesus claimed to be Yahweh; Jesus had therefore taken God’s Name in vain and had misused that Name; Jesus had done work on the Sabbath.

5. After hearing that the man had been excommunicated from the synagogue, Jesus sought him out. In the course of the discussion, the man confesses his belief that Jesus is the Son of Man. This confession proclaims that Jesus is Divine. The man then worships Jesus. By this act of worship, the man confesses that Jesus is God.

6. The question begging to be answered in John 9 is: „Who is Jesus?“ Some of the Pharisees hold Jesus to be a sinful blasphemer. Others of the Pharisees don’t believe that a sinful man would be able to heal a man born blind from birth. Others, like the healed blind man, confess that Jesus is God and subsequently worship Jesus as God. The question is no different 2000 years later. There are only two answers: either Jesus is God, or He is not. Either you believe Jesus when He claims to be the Son of God, or you do not believe Him. In our Sermon lection a Jewish man confesses Jesus to be God, and in our Gospel lection a Gentile woman confesses Him to be God, too. Their faith was created by the proclaimed Word of God. The Apostle Paul teaches: »faith comes from hearing the word of Christ« (Romans 10,17). That word of Christ is both law and gospel. Jesus calls us to repent of our sins and turn to Him as our Savior from our sins. That word of Christ is that He was handed over by the elders, sentenced to death, suffered, was crucified, died, was buried and then rose from the grave. Again Paul: »If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you will be saved« (Romans 10,9). If you confess Jesus to be God, then you will worship Him and be a good steward in His church.

7. The irony is that, in the Gospels, those who should believe do not and those who should reject Jesus receive Him. Those who see are blind to Jesus’ Divine nature, but those who are blind see Him and His true nature. The Apostle John explains it this way: »Jesus was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world did not know Him. He came unto His own Jewish people, and His own people did not receive Him. But everyone who received Him, He gave to them power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe on His Name« (John 1,10-12). The Pharisees should have believed in Jesus, but most of them did not. The blind man and a Gentile woman should have been the last to receive Him, but they believe in Jesus ahead of the Pharisees. The first have become last, and the last have become first (Matthew 19,30).

8. The Holy Spirit has blessed our nation with the freedom to preach the gospel unhindered, but we should not take this great and gracious gift for-granted. Luther once wrote: „Buy while the the market is at your door; gather in the harvest while there is sunshine and fair weather; make use of God’s grace and word while it is there! For you should know that God’s word and grace is like a passing shower of rain [farender platz regen] which does not return where it has once been. It has been with the Jews, but when it’s gone it’s gone, and now they have nothing. Paul brought it to the Greeks; but again when it’s gone it’s gone, and now they have the Turk. Rome and the Latins also had it; but when it’s gone it’s gone, and now they have the pope. And you Germans need not think that you will have it forever, for ingratitude and contempt will not make it stay. Therefore, seize it and hold it fast, whoever can; for lazy hands are bound to have a lean year“ (WA 15,32.7; AE 45,352).

9. Americans have had the free course of the gospel for 406 years, but our time will one day arrive when the Spirit and the gospel depart for greener pastures and ears open to hearing the preached word. We must pray that the Holy Spirit continues to dwell in our midst and creates faith with the gospel. Our nation faces tumultuous changes in the years ahead, and only the gospel will soothe the wounds our fellow citizens will suffer. As our culture continues to track farther away from Christianity and the fruits of political freedom, scientific discovery and moral fortitude that sprout from Christendom, our culture will become more and more anarchistic, intolerant of Christianity and egotistical. As the Christian influence wanes in our culture, new philosophies will fill the vacuum. Such unchristian philosophies will breed people who are blind to the working of Jesus and deaf to His gospel.

10. The only remedy for this decline is the gospel of Christ. The light of Christ must shine forth in the enveloping darkness. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection for mankind is the balm for tormented consciences. Only the gospel can absolve our sinful guilt. Only the gospel can penetrate the stony, unbelieving heart, take root and grow into a strong tree of faith. Join me in the proclamation of this gospel to the many people in our borough who need to hear it. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bless us and the preaching of loving-kindness of Christ from this pulpit. Study and meditate upon the Holy Scriptures so your faith is strengthened so you may withstand the cultural tribulations that are gathering against us and our Christian brothers and sisters. Be at peace for Christ is with us, in our midst, and He would see us blessed and prospering. Amen.

14. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Your steadfast love endures forever; speak our mouths and work through our hands so that Your faithfulness is revealed to our neighbors and our nation. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

✠

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Luke 7,11-16. 16. Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

Luke 7,11-16 4613

16. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 061

Nicetas, Martyr 372

15. September 2013

1. O lord, we beseech Thee, let Thy continual pity cleanse and defend Thy Church; and, because she cannot continue in safety without Thy succour [support], preserve her evermore by Thy help and goodness. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, 16. Sunday after Trinity). Amen.

2. Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a great crowd went with Him. As He drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her: „Do not weep.“ Then He came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And He said: „Young man, I say to you, arise.“ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying: „A great prophet has arisen among us!“ and “God has visited His people!“ And this report about Jesus spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

3. In Luke 7, Jesus is heralded as a „great prophet“. Israel had many prophets throughout history, but the adjective „great“ was reserved for Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. This is privileged company, indeed! In the Sermon on the Plain, Luke has showcased Jesus as a teacher of the Holy Scriptures who surpasses Moses. In today’s Gospel lection, Luke records that Jesus raised a young man from the dead. Only Elijah and Elisha raised someone from the dead in the old testament (1. Kings 17,21-22; 2. Kings 4,35).

4. If we merely acknowledge Jesus as a great teacher and prophet, then we miss completely who Jesus is and what He came to this earth to do. Jesus did teach the Scriptures and exhorted people to live by them. Jesus upheld the morals and virtues found in the pages of the Bible from Genesis to Malachi. In fact, Jesus held His disciples to a higher standard of the law than did Moses. Jesus raised three times as many people as did Elijah and Elisha combined. In the first seven chapters of his Gospel, Luke is showing us that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Thus far Jesus has not said this directly nor have anyone else said this of Him, but through His teaching of the Scriptures, His miracles and finally the raising to life the young man, Luke presents to us evidence that Jesus is more than a great teacher and more than a great prophet; yes, there is something Divine about this man who is Mary’s son.

5. Luke presents the case and lays out the facts that Jesus is both God and man, and this has been the confession of the apostles and the Church for 2000 years. It is one thing to confess that Jesus is a human being, a teacher and a prophet. Almost anyone in the world will grant such accolades to Jesus. The minute, however, you start making exclusive claims about Jesus, such that He is the Christ, the Son of God, raised from the dead and the only way to eternal life, at that moment the tolerant world becomes fiercely intolerant. Such truth claims are not tolerated, and those who hold such beliefs about Jesus are ridiculed and persecuted.

6. What is even worse is when churches, pastors and Christians are willing to water down the gospel and the truth about who Jesus is either to cozy up to the world, make Jesus more palatable to unbelievers or to soothe their doubting consciences. Such Christianity-lite is not the Christianity that Jesus established and the apostles proclaimed.

7. The Apostle Paul teaches that the cornerstone of the Christian faith is this: »Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Holy Scriptures, that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Holy Scriptures« (1. Corinthians 15,1-4). The apostles did not proclaim Jesus as a teacher or a prophet (although He was indeed both); the apostles do preach the chief point and event of Jesus’ ministry: His crucifixion and resurrection. The Church, her pastors and every Christian should stand firmly upon this cornerstone of the Christian faith and not be ashamed of it.

8. Yesterday (14. September) was Holy Cross Day. That was the day when Helena (mother of Emperor Constantine) found the true cross and had it placed in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in a.d. 335. This relic is not as important as the event it points back to: the crucifixion of Jesus. The cross is the point of Jesus’ glory, and it has a time and a location (Nagel 291,3). The Creeds place for us the time and the location: „under Pontius Pilate“. This was the hour of Jesus’ glory, a glory upon the cross.

9. But why the cross? Why the humiliation, suffering and death of Christ Jesus? „Sin brought the world into such a cursed mess that only the Son of God could rescue it. This He did by becoming part of our sin-cursed world, making Himself our brother and subject to the curse“ (Nagel 216,15). What Jesus says and what He does on the cross is: „Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other.” (Nagel 291,3) There is God (Nagel 291,3). There for everyone and also for you (Nagel 291,3). „ Jesus stakes Himself with us. If He is crushed by the curse, there is no hope. If He overcomes the curse, then death cannot have its way with us. The fate of Christ and the fate of me are one. I can only be destroyed by death if Christ can be destroyed by death. Christ did die, but He rose again. His resurrection means my resurrection“ (Nagel 216,15). The raising of the young man was just a preview of what Jesus would do Himself from His own tomb. What Jesus did to Himself He will do for each of you on the last day. He will raise you up, breath new life into your body and you will dwell in His presence forever and ever. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O lord Jesus Christ, Your Name is glorious! Bless the proclamation of Your resurrection to all people so that all may share in Your glory. Amen.

Christ crucified and risen for you

✠

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Luke 17,5-6. The 15th Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

Luke 17,5-6 4513

15. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 060

Nativity of Mary

Corbinian, Bishop of Freising, Bavaria, Apostle to Bavaria, † 730

8. September 2013

1. Keep, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy Church with Thy perpetual mercy; and, because the frailty of man without Thee cannot but fall, keep us ever by Thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation. Amen (The Book of Common Prayer, 15. Sunday after Trinity).

2. The apostles said to the Lord: „Add to us faith!“ And the Lord said: „If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, then you could say to this mulberry tree: ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you“ (Luke 17:5-6).

3. Mulberry trees grow quickly when they are young, but they soon grow much more slowly so that they reach an average height between 33-49 feet tall. These trees look like oversized bushes, for their branches grow from their trunks very close to the ground. They produce red or black berries that are about an inch long. Mustard seeds are yellow or black round seeds between 1-2 millimeters in diameter.

4. The apostles had asked Jesus to increase their faith. But why do the apostles want Jesus to add to their faith? They realized that they might take pure doctrine lightly and cause people to stumble. At this point in Jesus’ ministry, no one, not the disciples nor the apostles, have the faith Jesus seeks. In Luke 17 no one truly understands and comprehends Jesus and His ministry; such faith will not be given and received until after His resurrection. They also realized that they failed to forgive their neighbors as their Heavenly Father has forgiven them. Therefore, they asked Jesus to add to their faith. The apostles’ request arises from their recognition that they are unable to do what Jesus has exhorted of them because they lack the necessary faith (Just 645).

5. How often does the apostles’ petition flow from our lips or mull around in our thoughts? I suspect most Christians would say they want an addition of faith. We see the great expectations that God has for us, and we see how miserably we disappoint God. We do not love God with all our heart, and we do not love our neighbor. We fail to rebuke our neighbor concerning sin so that they will repent and receive forgiveness. We do not think about the consequences of sin. When others sin against us, we are quick to refuse to forgive them. We hear and know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, but we often do not live trusting Jesus to be our life and salvation.

6. Jesus’ words to the apostles offer them encouragement (Just 645). „Even though the apostles do not realize it, they have enough faith to do miraculous things, even something as remarkable as transplanting a mulberry tree, with its deep root system, into the sea“ (Just 645). The apostles will be given the faith to preach the gospel, heal the sick and teach the faith (Just 645). Jesus will add to their faith so they can forgive seven times a day and show how true healing in the reign of God takes place (Just 645).

7. You also have the faith to do miraculous things. You have heard the gospel proclaimed by the apostles and have received their teachings as recorded in the Holy Scriptures and passed down through the Church’s liturgy and tradition. Jesus adds to your faith so you can support the proclamation of the gospel through your support of this church. Jesus forgives you and He adds to your faith so you can forgive others.

8. The hiddenness of the reign of God in their preaching, healing and forgiving may make the apostles feel as if they do not have enough faith, but like a mustard seed, the smallness of their faith in Christ conceals Christ’s great power and through the apostles Christ will produce great wonders for the reign of God (Just 645). Jesus fulfilled His promise to the apostles, and we are the fruit that has been born from that promise.

9. In His Beatitudes this morning, Jesus exhorts His disciples: »Seek first the reign of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you« (Matthew 6,33). This is why Jesus encouraged His apostles; Jesus knew that the Holy Spirit had created faith in them to receive His gospel and believe in Him as the Christ and the Son of God. They did not fully comprehend what they believed early in His ministry, but Jesus knew that through His patient teaching and the working of the Holy Spirit after His resurrection that the apostles and disciples would truly understand what it was that had already believed.

10. The reign of God and His righteousness are the objects of what faith believes. Jesus arrived to inaugurate the reign of God. Indeed, through His teaching and miracles, Jesus proclaimed that the reign of God was already in the midst of the disciples. The reign of God is the in-breaking of God’s reign in His fallen creation so that sickness, sin, death and the devil are all dealt with and defeated. The reign of God is the working of Jesus to remove the curse that His Father had imposed upon sinful mankind and creation. God the Father has subjected creation to futility, and creation eagerly longs for and awaits for the last day when Jesus returns and frees it from its bondage to decay and is set free to thrive in its originally created glory and grandeur (Romans 8,19-20). Jesus’ death and resurrection has initiated this end times reign, but this reign will not be brought to completion until Jesus returns on the last day.

11. God’s righteousness is His holiness and perfection that Jesus, as the True Son of God, has as one of His Divine attributes. Moses tells us in Genesis that Yahweh created man in His Divine image and likeness (Genesis 1,26). »So Elohim (God) created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them« (Genesis 1,27). Elohim created Adam and Eve in His image and likeness; He gave them His own Divine righteousness. This original righteousness has been lost to men and women since Adam fell into sin and passed onto his descendants the curse of sin, so that we are now born with original sin. Jesus arrived to undo this curse of sin and restore His image and likeness to His fallen men and women.

12. The Apostle Paul, quoting the Prophet Habakkuk, proclaims: »The righteous will live by faith« (Habakkuk 2,4; Romans 1,17). Right now, on account of faith in Christ, you are righteous. You may not feel righteous. You might be aware of your faults, sins and flaws, but you are righteous because Jesus has imputed His own righteousness upon you. Jesus now declares you righteous. The Apostle Paul masterfully explains this gospel. He writes: »Sin came into the world through Adam, and death thus entered the world through sin, and so death spread to all men and women because all sinned. As one sin led to condemnation for all men and women, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men and women. For as by Adam’s disobedience all people were made sinners, so by Jesus’ obedience all people are made righteous« (Romans 5,12.18-19). The first Adam brought sin and the curse into mankind; the second Adam, Jesus, brought forgiveness and righteous to mankind. Faith receives and believes this gospel that is manifested in Christ Jesus.

13. You have this faith in Jesus, and He has sent the Holy Spirit to add to your faith. The Holy Spirit adds to you the providence that you have in Jesus. He assures you that Jesus will provide for you and all your needs. He will bless you with food, home, clothing, family, friends, job, a peaceable and just government, good weather, preservation from calamities and other sufferings. When the curse of this world impedes upon these blessings, the Holy Spirit gives you the strength to rely upon and trust in Christ who bears your persecution, suffering and tribulation with you. Indeed, Jesus takes your heavy burden from you and bears it upon His own shoulders and gives you His light and heavenly burden which is easier to bear. Such is the fruit of faith in Jesus. Though that faith be as small as a minuscule mustard seed, yet it blossoms into a strong and healthy mustard tree that weathers all the storms of this wicked world. You have this promise through Jesus, who Himself endured the worst the world can deliver, and He came through on the other side victorious. His righteousness is your righteousness, and His victory is your victory. Amen.

14. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, You are good! We take refuge in You and we are blessed; help us to direct others to You so that they may find rest and refuge in Your righteous arms. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

✠

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Genesis 28,10-19a. 14th Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

Genesis 28,10-19a 4413

14. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 059

Joshua

Aegidius, Abbot, appr. † 715

Aegidius, monk † 1203

1. September 2013

1. Almighty and Everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope and charity; and, that we may obtain that which Thou dost promise, make us to love that which Thou dost command. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, 14. Sunday after Trinity). Amen.

2. Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladderset up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, Yahweh stood above itand said: „I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.“ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said: „Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it.“ And he was afraid and said: „How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.“ So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel (which means, „house of God“), but the name of the city was originally Luz (which means, „almond tree“).

3. Jacob was a dead man. He had lied to and shamed his father, Isaac. He had swindled his older brother Esau out of his rightful inheritance. Jacob had become the outcast of the family. He now fled for his very life, because Esau was looking to mete out vengeance upon his deceitful younger twin. Mother Rebecca was sending Jacob to her brother; Uncle Laban would protect Jacob from the wrath of Esau.

4. Considering Jacob’s exploits thus far, you really can’t wreck your life any worse than Jacob had already done. Yahweh had promised to bless Jacob and give him his father’s inheritance. Jacob now had that inheritance, and once Isaac died Jacob would inherit everything. But the way Jacob went about securing this blessing and inheritance had torn the family apart. He drove a wedge between Isaac and his wife Rebecca, for Isaac favored Esau but Rebecca favored Jacob. He soured his relationship with his father, and he completely betrayed his brother’s trust. Yet the Messianic lineage goes through Jacob from Abraham and Isaac. From Jacob it passed to Judah, the fourth of twelve sons, then later onto David, the youngest of Jesse’s eight boys. Finally it culminates in Joseph and Mary, both of whom descend from from different sons of David. With Jesus the blessing and inheritance made to Jacob is now fulfilled.

5. On his way to Uncle Laban, Jacob stops to sleep. He has a dream, and through this dream Yahweh reassures Jacob of His promise and blessing. Jacob will have many descendants, and the land will belong to his descendants. Yahweh will be his Providence and Protection. A similar promise is made to the lepers in today’s Gospel lection. Those men were outcasts from society because they had a contagious and serious skin disease. Jesus entered their midst, healed them and restored them to the fold of the Jacobean promise.

6. Both Jacob and the Samaritan realize God had been in their midst, and they straightaway worship God. Jacob built a pillar, poured oil upon it and set up a worship site to pinpoint where God had made His presence known. The Samaritan returned to Jesus, prostrated himself at His feet and worshipped Him as God. In both men we see their faith in Yahweh.

7. The story of Jacob is your story. Jacob had done some despicable things in his life, and he would sin greatly the remainder of his life, but he knew God and where God had located Himself. He worshipped this God of his father and grandfather. Faith is never inactive. The Apostle Paul says that the true and rightful descendants of Abraham are the men and women who have faith in the same God that Abraham worships and thereby such descendants receive the blessing God had given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. [1] You and all Christians are the true heirs of Abraham, for you worship the same God that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob worshipped. Jesus traces His human genealogy back through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for Jesus is the son God had promised to give to these patriarchs. Like Jacob, you know where God is and where He presents Himself. Jesus isn’t found haphazardly in nature, but in His Church. Jesus is where His Word and Sacraments are preached and administered. Thus Luther wrote in his Small Catechism: „You shall sanctify the holy-day. What is this?–Answer. We should fear and love God so that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it“ [2] (Luther). In Luther’s explanation of the 3. Commandment, the „it“ is the very Word of God. You hear this Word of God in Church, and this Word is the very Jesus Himself, and the bread and wine you receive in the Holy Supper are the very body and blood of Jesus Himself. We worship Jesus where He is found, and Jesus is found in His Church. Faith sees this and receives God’s gifts.

8. Our lections from Genesis 28 and Luke 17 are texts that show a worship event. Jacob was rushing to get to his Uncle Laban, but after His encounter with Yahweh he set aside time to worship Yahweh. The ten lepers all left for Jerusalem, per Jesus’ command, to show themselves to the priests and be declared healthy and clean. One of these lepers, a Samaritan, upon seeing he had been healed, turned back and returned to Jesus where he praised and worshipped Jesus. Our Lord had sent these lepers to the priests in Jerusalem, but the Samaritan realized that he had been in the presence of a greater priest, yes, the Heavenly High Priest and God’s own Christ. Jesus then declares to him a greater healing, a healing of the spiritual sinful condition, saying: »your faith has saved you.«

9. To say „faith saves you“ is to simply say „Christ Jesus saves you, and faith believes this and receives it as one’s own.“ As the Holy Scriptures have shown us, faith yields forth worship. Scripture has also revealed that although Jesus has saved everyone, many refuse to return to His presence and worship Him. Only a remnant returns to give praise and glory to God, and you are that faithful remnant who never fail to find Jesus where He is present and weekly give Him worship and praise. To you, Jesus says: »your faith has saved you.« Christ has saved you, and you have believed this gospel message. You trust in Christ and His promise. You return often to give thanks to Christ and to worship Him. You understand what Luther teaches in his Catechism: you hold sacred the preaching of God’s Word, and you gladly hear and learn His Word. Not only His Word, but also His body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. Jesus says: »Eat and drink this holy meal in remembrance of Me« (1. Corinthians 11,24-25). The Apostle Paul proclaims: »For as often as you eat this bread and drink from the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He returns« (1. Corinthians 11,26). Today you once again proclaim Jesus’ death, resurrection and His return on the last day. In all this Jesus is well pleased with you and your faith. The Holy Spirit has created and nurtured your faith through the years and you have not squelched His work in your life. He has blessed you each week with His Word and Sacraments. He has given you gifts upon gifts over the years as His blessings have been spoken to you in the Benediction. You may once again leave this Divine Service in peace, knowing that in Christ you have salvation and full remission of your sins. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Most High, whose Divine attributes are steadfast love and faithfulness, to name but only two, exhort those who are not here this holy day to return unto Your holy place, this church, so that they may rightly and faithfully worship You as Savior and Lord. Amen.

Christ crucified and risen for you

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¹ For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3,26.29).

² Du sollst den Feiertag heiligen. Was ist das? — Antwort. Wir sollen Gott fürchten und lieben, daß wir die Predigt und sein Wort nicht verachten, sondern dasselbe heilig halten, gerne hören und lernen (Luther).

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Monday, September 30, 2013

Mark 12,28-35. 18th Sunday after Trinity

Sunday, September 22, 2013

John 9,35-41. 17. Sunday after Trinity

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Luke 7,11-16. 16. Sunday after Trinity

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Luke 17,5-6. The 15th Sunday after Trinity

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Genesis 28,10-19a. 14th Sunday after Trinity