Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: August 2015

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Mark 7,31-37. 12th Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Mark 7,31-37; Matthew 15,29-31 4215

12. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 057

Zachaeus, Luke 19

Zachaeus IV, Bishop of Jerusalem

23. August 2015

1. O Wonderful God, who heals and revitalizes His people, we await with Your creation and hopes for Your intervention. (VELKD Prayer for 12. Trinitatis § 1). Amen.

2. Then Jesus returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged Him to lay His hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him: „Ephphatha,“ that is: „Be opened.“ And his ears were opened, his tongue was released and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying: „He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.“

3. Our Gospel pericope tells us the account of Jesus healing a man born deaf and mute. We see in this miracle that „What God says, God does. The reverse is also true. What God does, God says; His doing is not ambiguous. God’s work is God’s speech. God’s speech is no fleeting breath. It is a most effective breath that creates life, that summons into life“ (Bayer 43). St. Mark the Evangelist reported the response of the crowd: »He has done all things well« (Mark 7,37). Since He has done all things well, then Jesus has also spoken all things well.

4. This miracle not only shows that Jesus has done all things well, but it also shows that He is the fulfillment of old testament prophecy: »Say to those who have an anxious heart: „Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will arrive and save you.“ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; and the ransomed of the Lord will return and go up to Zion with singing; everlasting joy will be upon their heads; they will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away« (Isaiah 35,4-5.10). This miracle was one of many that Jesus performed. The crowds grew with messianic anticipation: Could Jesus of Nazareth indeed be the messiah that we had been promised since Adam, Abraham and Moses? Every miracle Jesus performed and every teaching He spoke burned the words of the Prophet Malachi into their ears: »For behold, says the Lord of hosts, the day is drawing near for you who fear My Name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings.« (Malachi 4,1-2).

5. Jesus is this Sun of Righteousness who heals His people. Indeed, we hail Jesus as „Earendel, the Morning Star and Brightest of angels who was sent to mankind on this Middle-earth. He is the True Brilliance of the sun, radiant above the stars, and from Himself illumines forever all the tides of time! He is God indeed begotten of God, Son of the True Father, whose handiwork is in sore need. He is the Radiant Sun who enlightens those who for so long a time, were wrapped around with darkness and here in gloom, have sat the lifelong night; shrouded in sin, had to endure death’s dark shadow. Hopeful now we trust in the salvation brought to the hosts of men through God’s own Word, who was in the beginning co-eternal with God, the Almighty Father and is now flesh void of blemish, that the maiden bore to help the wretched. God was seen among us in all His sinlessness; together they dwelt the Creator’s Mighty Son and the Son of Man in peace on earth wherefore as it is meet we may well thank the Lord of Triumph aye, that He vouchsafed to send to us Himself“ (Cynewulf 104-129).

6. The deaf man in today’s pericope represents us all. He was sick and in need of healing. He was a sinner who was cursed with the rotten fruit of original sin. Like that deaf man, we are all sick with sin and often become lost in the darkness. We need a Healer, a Savior and a Light to heal us, to save us and to lead us into the light. Christ Jesus is that Healer, Savior and Light. Jesus even says of Himself: »I am the Root and the Descendant of David; I am the Bright Morning Star« (Revelation 22,16).

7. Jesus once again shows compassion and mercy to someone in need in this pericope. In this miracle, Jesus treats the man not as some poor disabled man, but as an afflicted man in need of God’s healing. He treats the man as a man, shows Him respect and upholds his dignity. This is how Jesus treats each one of us, whether it is in our sickness, our petitions we lift up to Him or when we come to Him for absolution for our sins.

8. We are tempted to think that proclaiming the gospel means only telling people about the crucified and risen Jesus. This certainly is the core and cornerstone of the gospel, but often when Jesus healed people He did not launch into a formal teaching on the gospel that He would be crucified and raised from the dead. For the deaf man, the gospel was the restoration of His hearing and his speech. He received this healing from Jesus Himself. Jesus did not tell him to follow Him. He did not exhort him to become His disciple, although it is probable that this man did indeed become a disciple. Jesus simply sent the man home. This is simply what Jesus does in your life. You hear the gospel each week and He sends you back home. In your circle of friends, in your vocation and among your neighbors, you have opportunities to proclaim the gospel. Jesus has blessed you with this gospel and He blesses you with opportunities to share this gospel. May you speak this gospel to those in your life. Do not be afraid of what to say, for the Holy Spirit will guide your actions and words; He will work through you to bless those who are hurting.

9. Jesus is the Light of the world, and we are His individual lights that enlighten the darkness around our neighbors. Jesus works through you to serve others. The gospel creates faith, faith believes in Jesus unto salvation and faith bears forth works of mercy. Diaconal service brings Jesus’ mercy to the neighbor. Every time you utilize your talents, abilities or alms in service of your neighbor, you are being merciful to your neighbor. Through these acts of mercy the Holy Spirit brings proof of the validity of the gospel and its power to save men and women, both in body and soul, unto life everlasting. The Psalmist declares: »“For with You, O God, is the Fountain of Life; in Your Light we see light« (Psalm 36,9). The Light of Jesus shines through you, when your neighbors see that Light, they see Jesus, and in seeing Jesus they see the light that is their salvation through Christ alone. Jesus says: »You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven« (Matthew 5,14.16). Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Lord, we will bless You at all times and praise You, for You have enlightened us unto salvation through Christ Jesus, so that His Light is now our light unto everlasting life; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 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. 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 16. August 2009 (10. Trinitatis) in Berlin-Zehlendorf, Germany on Luke 19,41-48. Copyright © 2009 St. Mary Church in Berlin-Zehlendorf (SELK). All rights reserved. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2011.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Luke 18,9-14. 11th Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Luke 18,9-14 4115

11. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 056

Isaac, Patriarch.

Rochus of Montpellier, Confessor, ✠ end of the 14^th c.

16. August 2015

1. O Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the downtrodden, like the tax collector, our sinfulness makes us the stranger before You, nevertheless, we draw near to You, convicted of our sins and seeking Your mercy. Look upon us with grace and transform us through Your Spirit so that we receive Your mercy. Amen. (VELKD, Prayer for 11. Sn. n. Trinitatis § 1 2014)

2. Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: „Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayedthus: ‘O God, I thank You that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying: ‘O God, be propitiated toward me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.“

3. Jesus presents us with two types of spiritual people in today’s parable: 1. A super-pious Pharisee, and 2. a humiliated tax collector. You could not find two polar opposites in Judaism. The Pharisees took the Torah extremely seriously, so seriously that they elevated the traditions of the elders to mandatory performance and furthermore did more than the Torah required in order to cover the omissions of keeping the Torah that sinners, like the tax collectors, were guilty of. The Torah exhorted fasting one day a week, so the Pharisees fasted two days a week. The Torah exhorted a 10% tithe as an offering, so the Pharisees gave 20% as an offering. In many ways the Medieval Catholic treasury of merits found common ground with 1. century ad Pharisaic Judaism. Tax collectors were renowned for their lavish banquets and not their fasting. They were often unable to tithe because the priests and rabbis considered the method by which tax collectors were paid to be usury and stealing; tax collectors were allowed to keep whatever extra money they could tax from their neighbors. If Rome only sought a 10% tax from its citizens and the tax collector could force their clients to pay a 20% tax, then the tax collector was allowed to keep that extra 10% as their salary. Many tax collectors made themselves wealthy this way. Consider Zacchaeus the rich chief tax collector who told Jesus: »Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have defrauded anyone of anything, then I restore it fourfold« (Luke 19,2.8). »And when the Pharisees saw it, they all grumbled: „He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.“ And Jesus said to Zacchaeus: „Today salvation has entered this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost“« (Luke 19,7.9-10).

4. The Pharisees condemned Jewish tax collectors as the worst of sinners. Their very occupation forced them to violate several important commandments and hindered them from upholding such key tenets as tithing. On the great scale of justification the Pharisees were most certainly righteous and the tax collectors were most certainly damned. The Pharisees believed that the only way for a tax collector to be saved was to renounce his profession and pay back all the people he had defrauded over the years.

5. In His parable, Jesus presents a shocking reversal. The Pharisee who is considered righteous leaves the temple unjustified, and the tax collector who is considered unrighteous leaves the temple justified. The reason this occurred is revealed when Jesus called Levi, another tax collector, to be His disciple and apostle. St. Luke tells us: »After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And He said to him: „Follow Me.“ And leaving everything, Levi rose and followed Him. Then Levi made Him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at Jesus’ disciples, saying: „Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?“ So Jesus answered them: „Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not arrived to call the righteous but sinners to repentance“« (Luke 5,27-32).

6. The tax collector in today’s parable leaves justified because Jesus arrived to call sinners to repentance and to justify them. People who merit righteousness based on their keeping of God’s commandments are self-righteous people who have a difficult time believing that God saves by grace and not by works of the law. Sinners, however, who are burdened with the guilt of their sins and weighed down with the realization that they can never keep the commandments find the declaration that God saves us by grace to be a liberating proclamation of love and mercy.

7. Jesus proclaims: »For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.« Jesus Himself lives what He proclaims. The Apostle Paul tells us: »Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father« (Philippians 2,5-11).

8. The crucified and risen Jesus is how He redeemed the world back to His Father and how He justified all people, both the righteous and sinners. For the self-righteous, they must repent of their striving to earn God’s favor and mercy by their obedience to the commandments. For the sinners, they must repent of their view that God could never forgive them merely by grace. God’s mercy is foreign to our fallen reason and is contrary to every religion known to man. This is why Christianity is unique among all the world. Christianity is not another religion where you earn justification and favor by doing works that are pleasing to God. Christianity is the realization of the reign of God in our midst manifested by Christ Jesus. Christianity is based on faith that receives God’s justification by grace. Christianity shows us that God the Father loves us and redeems us through the vicarious merit of His Son Jesus Christ who was crucified and risen from the dead.

9. The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthian Christians: »And when I arrived, brothers and sisters, I did not arrive proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 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. Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man entered death, by a Man has entered also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His parousia (advent) those who belong to Christ. Then the end occurs, when He delivers the reign to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all his enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. [Psalm 8,6] But when it says: all things are put in subjection, it is plain that He is excepted who put all things in subjection under Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, so that God may be all in all« (1. Corinthians 2,1-2; 15,3-4.12-28).

10. Jesus was humbled in order to justify you. He has paid for your sin on the cross, died, unlocked hades’ gate and risen from the grave. In your Baptism you have died with Christ and you have risen with Him. You leave church today justified by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, we give thanks to You and proclaim Your deeds among the peoples, so that they may hear of Your mercy and be certain that even their sins are forgiven. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Monday, August 10, 2015

Luke 19,41-48. 10th Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Luke 19,41-48; Matthew 21,12-17; Mark 11,15-19 4015

10. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 055

Romanus, Martyr at Rome 258.

Hermann Otto Erich Sasse 1976

9. August 2015

1. O God of Jacob, and our God, You bless Your people, You weep with them and You want the peace of Jerusalem. We pray: send forth Your peace across the earth. (VELKD Prayer for 10. Trinitatis § 1). Amen.

2. And when Jesus drew near and saw Jerusalem, He wept over it, ⁴²saying: “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side ⁴⁴and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” ⁴⁵And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, ⁴⁶saying to them: “It is written: »My house shall be a house of prayer,« but you have made it a den of insurrectionists.” ⁴⁷And He was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy Him, ⁴⁸but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on His words.

3. Jesus uttered these prophetic words as He was approaching Jerusalem. On His journey He paused and gazed upon her splendor. He lifted up His eyes and beheld Jerusalem seated upon the hills in all her glory and the magnificent temple glittering in golden beauty. Jesus wept with sorrow over the impending judgment upon the city and the nation. By the end of the week He had suffered, died and risen again for His people. Forty years later, His prophetic judgment came to pass on 10. August 70. This is a date that lives in ancient history infamy, for that is the day the Roman General Titus completed his campaign against rebellious Israel when he destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.

4. Two thousand years later, what does Jesus teach us in regards to this pericope? Looking to Christ Himself, we want to:

I. weep with Christ

II. let us be warned through Christ

III. be comforted by Christ (Martens § 3).

5. Christ, the Son of God, wept over Jerusalem. He still weeps over Jerusalem, a city that teems with Jews, Christians and Muslims. Holy sites to all three religions dot the urban map. Israeli atrocities against Christian and Muslim Palestinians abound. Palestinians are removed from their homes and land so Israelis can move in. A wall is built to separate the Palestinians from their land. When they cross the border to worship God, only a few of the many are granted access. The Palestinians are by no means innocent doves. In their struggle for identity, land and a nation, they at times violently resist the Israeli government and military with bombs or rockets that often kill civilians. The Palestinians and the Israelis pay back blood for blood in kind. A violent cycle of fighting, mistrust and anger exists on both sides. Peace is tenuous, and not even mighty nations like the United States have been able to broker a lasting peace in the region for very long.

6. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the temple had become a den of insurrectionists. The religious and political leaders had rejected Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah, and in doing so they had rebelled against Yahweh. Jesus had come to redeem them, but the Jewish religious and political leaders labeled Him a demon-possessed, law-breaking, rebel-rousing trouble-maker. Such gadflies often face the wrath of the powers in charge. Socrates was sentenced to death in ancient Greece, and Dietrich Bonhöffer was executed by Nazi Germany for being the conscience of their societies. Jesus shared a similar sentence.

7. Jesus wept because rebellious actions have consequences. He Himself quoted the Prophet Jeremiah: »And now, because you have been idolatrous and treated your neighbor wickedly, when I persistently spoke to you but you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, therefore I, Yahweh, will do to temple that is called by My Name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh when I withdrew my protection and allowed the ark of the covenant to be captured. I will cast you out of My sight« (Jeremiah 7,13-15).

II.

8. „Yes, Israel is a model with his guilt – a model for us as Christians and as a church. For the words of Jesus to His beloved city – they apply not only to His own people, they should also serve as a warning to us: Is it clear to us that the time that God still grants us is the period of grace and the time He gives us to turn back to Him? Is it clear to us that it is a gracious gift of God when Christ still invites us to encounter Him here in the Divine Service, the Sermon and the Lord’s Supper? Is that clear to us that this time is limited, or do we think we can deal with this subject at some later time when it suits us better if we can find the necessary time for it in our busy lives? Is it clear to us that we receive Christ as the only means for our life and salvation, who alone gives us the peace of fellowship with Him? Or do we think we live our lives without this fellowship with Christ, and could very well exist without His fellowship?“ (Martens § 10).

9. If we take such questions lightly, then Jesus weeps over us. We are no better than the Jewish rebels of His day. If we lift up idols alongside of Jesus, then we are ungrateful idolaters. If we wish, or do, evil to our neighbor, either by causing them harm and distress or by failing to help them in their time of need, then we are wicked, selfish people. The law does not excuse any one of us from such sins. The law calls us to repent, to worship only the Triune God and to befriend our neighbors. This church, like every church, is established by the Holy Spirit to be a house of prayer, a sanctuary of worship and a holy place where forgiveness of sins is given out to those who are distressed or burdened by their sinfulness. Woe to us if we ever forget that as a church or a Lutheran synod! The law’s condemning sentence looms over all who are wicked and unrepentant, yes, even us.

III.

10. Be now comforted by Christ. I proclaim to you the gospel: Jesus came to rescue you from the law’s condemnation and your sins. In Luke 19 Jesus was traveling up to Jerusalem to do just that, and He accomplished your salvation and absolution on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Jesus has paid for our idolatry and wickedness. Jesus has ransomed us from the error of not rejoicing in this place as His sanctuary of grace. Jesus has paid the price in full and declares us not guilty. You are saved and redeemed by Jesus, the very One who was rejected by His own Jewish leaders.

11. Though we may forsake Christ, He does not forsake us; He does not forsake you. Jesus stays true to His word and stands by what He has promised you in your Holy Baptism. Jesus stands by His Father as they wait for their prodigal children to return home. Jesus is rich in grace and abundant in mercy, for He joyfully welcomes home sinners who have returned once again to their baptismal faith that trusts only in Him.

12. When God destroys, He always leaves a remnant from which He rebuilds. Noah and His family repopulated the earth after the Flood. Babylonian Jews began to return from exile in 538 bc to rebuild after the first temple had been destroyed by God’s judgment. Today the Palestinian Christians live in Jerusalem and the surrounding lands. They are descendants from the first Christians who trace their lineage all the way back to Jesus and His apostles. O these Palestinian Christians are a minority in the land, but they are Jesus’ remnant in the holy city and they are gadflies to the Israelis and the Muslim Arabs in the land. They are a constant reminder that no matter how fiercely the world persecutes Jesus’ Christians, they are His people and they still remain. They are stones in the Lord’s new testament temple who offer prayers and worship to the One True God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit (1. Peter 2,4-5). Jesus is the True Temple, for Jesus does what the temple as a building on Mt. Zion did. Jesus is the Source of the forgiveness of sins, and the Object of our Divine Service (Gottesdienst) and prayers. All Christians are stones in Christ the Temple.

13. „Together, we live by God’s grace, by His forgiveness, even by the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ, who never ceases to advocate for His people, so that we all recognize that which make for peace“ (Martens § 14). We pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who are persecuted for the Name of Jesus in Palestine, Egypt and the Muslim lands. We pray for an outpouring of the gospel among the Jews and Muslims so that the few Christians in those cultures will be joined by many more converts to the Christian faith. We pray for our church and our Lutheran synod so that the Holy Spirit would abundantly bless us temporally and spiritually. Our church is a house of prayer. We pray for peace. We pray for grace. We pray to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Peace of God and the Grace of God who creates peace from warfare and salvation from rebellion. Amen.

14. Let us pray. O Yahweh, You are our God and we are the people of Your pasture and the sheep of Your hand; be with us and bless us so that we may preach and administer the gospel to those in our midst and to the borough which surrounds us. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Matthew 25,14-30. 9th Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Matthew 25,14-30 3915

9. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 054

Stephan, Bishop of Rome, Martyr 257

2. August 2015

1. O Gracious God, Your creation is beautiful and we give thanks to You for Your mercy upon Your fallen mankind whom You have redeemed through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (VELKD, Prayer for 9. Sn. n. Trinitatis § 1)

2. „For the reign of heaven is like a man going on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions (resources) to them. He gave five talents to one slave, two to another, and one to another, each according to his own ability; then he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and invested them, and he made a profit of an additional five talents. Likewise, the one who had received the two talents made a profit of two additional talents. But the one who had received a single talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. Now after a long time the master of those slaves returned and settled accounts with them. And the one having received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying: ‘Lord, you entrusted to me five talents; behold I gained five talents more.’ His lord said to him: ‘Well done, good and faithful slave, you have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your lord.’ And the one who also had the two talents came forward, saying: ‘Lord, you entrusted to me two talents; behold I gained two talents more.’ His lord said to him: ‘Well done, good and faithful slave, you have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying: ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered him: ‘You wicked and slothful slave! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you should have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will be rich; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away from him. And throw out the useless slave into the outermost darkness: where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“

3. One of the things Jesus teaches in this parable is that people have one of two approaches to God: 1. He is a kind and gracious God, or 2. He is an uncaring and harsh God. How one views God determines how one will respond to God. Those who view God as kind and gracious often receive His gifts with joy, but those who view God as uncaring and harsh often begrudge His gifts. As sinful people, sometimes we begrudge God. Our fallen nature is prideful and vain. Perhaps God has an ulterior motive in giving us gifts. Perhaps we better hold onto what we have, securing its worth, and end with what we began with. There is stability in that approach, but it is also void of any risk.

4. God does not want us stuck in a rut, living the status quo and never taking risks. God created us in His Image and Likeness. He gave us a brain, ingenuity and creativity. He wants us to use them, and He wants us to use His gifts to bring glory to His Name. God loves to pour out His gifts without calculation, equalization or quantification (Nagel 252 ¶ 5). God is not content with what He originally gave us. He wants to bless us with even more talents and blessings. Faith is receiving His gifts (Nagel 253 ¶ 6). God is so gracious that no yardstick we use can adequately measure the depth of His giving. No yardstick can cope with 5, 2 and 1 (Nagel 253 ¶ 6). Five, two and one are not to be measured in terms of amount: he has more gifts than me, but I have more gifts than her. God’s giving of 5, 2 and 1 is a measurement in difference (Nagel 253 ¶ 8). Five is different from two, and two is different from five and one. God’s gifts are less about quantity and more about diversity. The Apostle Paul used the image of a body. The body is comprised of different organs and members all of which work for the well-being of body.

5. The differences matter to God (Nagel 254 ¶ 9). That’s why He created man to be male and female. He created all sorts of different animals, plants and stars. God thinks big, really big; just look at the complexity of this planet and then consider this is just one planet in an immense universe with billions of stars. God can love each one in a different way with a different delight (Nagel 254 ¶ 9). Each one of us with our unique talents tailored to our individuality is completely different from all the other 7 billion people living on this world. No one of us is the same as any other to our God (Nagel 254 ¶ 9).

6. In the giving of His gifts, God shows His love, graciousness and diversity. We see all this in the giving of His own Son. Jesus was sent to the world to redeem the world from sin, death and hades. During His public ministry Jesus taught and performed miracles to show the gift of love that He brings. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection secured our salvation and show us the depth of His giving and His love.

7. Jesus does not stop giving. When He returns He will give His Christians even more gifts than they have now. By grace we are faithful in all that God gives us, for in Christ Jesus we have the one great Gift that is beyond all others: Jesus Himself. He has redeemed us, blessed us and given to us an abundance of talent to be used to glorify His Name. Jesus will help us fulfill that task, for He Himself sends us the Holy Spirit to guide us in our lives. Amen.

8. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Joy and Gladness of all who seek You, send forth the Holy Spirit to bring all who hear the gospel to faith in their salvation. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

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Monday, August 3, 2015

Matthew 5,13-16. 8th Sunday after Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Matthew 5,13-16 3815

8. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 053

Anna, grandmother of Jesus

26. Juli 2015

1. O God, Thou Sun of Righteousness. We beseech You: Kindle Your Light, so it becomes a bright beacon of salvation that shines forth from Your holy Church. (VELKD Prayer for 8. Trinitatis § 1). Amen.

2. Jesus taught them, saying: „You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.“

3. Jesus calls you to be His disciples and it is Jesus who decides the nature and the character of His calling to you (Gibbs 259). The Gospel according to Matthew proclaims that Jesus’ disciples are the people who salt the earth and who light the world; no one else has this calling (Gibbs 259). You have been baptized in the Name of the Triune God: you are disciples of Jesus; you are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world. Only Jesus and His disciples can do for the fallen world what it needs (Gibbs 260). The world offers many different philosophies and ideologies so that it seems to be a well-seasoned choice to satisfy any and all desires of people, but in all its diversity it often leaves individuals with a bland taste that quickly wears thin. The world offers many religions that promise inner peace and enlightenment, but often leaves individuals still lost in their darkness.

4. Jesus Himself is the Salt and Light of the world. He has called you to be His disciple. He has sent you the Holy Spirit to create faith in Him. His law exhorts you to repentance, and His gospel absolves you of your sins. Jesus is the Salt that heals your wounds, and He is the Light unto your eternal salvation. He now sends you out to be salt and light to your neighbors.

5. Jesus tells us: »A lamp is lit in order to bring light throughout all the house. Likewise, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.« Your good works flow from your vocation. Where has God placed you? How has He blessed you? What are your talents and abilities? Your good works are distributed through your vocational attributes and duties.

6. The average person doesn’t usually think much about their vocational abilities, but every vocational skill utilized by Christians is important. Therefore, you must guard against the malaise that sets in that is content to exercise your vocation in ordinary ways. Christ exhorts His beloved disciples to live in their vocations in extraordinary ways, that is, in ways that go far and beyond what non-Christians do with their vocations (Gibbs 262). Others may be decent parents, but Christians are encouraged to be excellent parents. Others may be ho-hum white or blue collar workers, but Christians are expected to be outstanding white or blue collar workers. Others may be nice neighbors, but Christians are to be exceptional neighbors. Others may be law-abiding citizens, but Christians are to be the most responsible citizens in their community. Others may be charitable, but Christians are to be abundant when they put their offerings in the collection plate. Jesus’ disciples are to live lives of remarkable faithfulness, piety and generosity (Gibbs 261) so that your words and deeds, in the power of faith and the Holy Spirit, will be like salt that seasons a meal and like the light in the darkness (Gibbs 262).

7. Christians often fall woefully short of these expectations. We may not support our church as we should, we may not exhort one another in grace and love or we may be content to be part of the status quo.

8. As Christians we must acknowledge our failures, and repent of our sins. We are unable and incapable of being salt and light to each other and the world on our own accord and by our own abilities and powers. We must rely completely and only on Jesus Christ, for He alone makes us salt and light among our neighbors.

9. Jesus is a forgiving savior who is quick to forgive and eager to empower us to be a blessing to both church and neighbor. Each Christian man and woman is a disciple because Jesus forgives and blesses them; we then receive Jesus’ calling to be salt and light (Gibbs 262). In the brightness of His Light, our light will shine for the blessing and salvation of the world (Gibbs 262). The Psalmist David sings: »How precious is Your loving kindness, 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 we see light. O continue Your loving kindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright of heart!« (Psalm 36,7-10).

10. You are the salt and light of the earth. Jesus takes you, a perfectly ordinary person, and He uses you to proclaim the love and forgiveness of Jesus (Martens § 15); He uses you to show the world how His grace and forgiveness touches individual lives for the better. Therefore, Jesus doesn’t want you to hide your light under a bushel basket and deny who you are, rather He wants you to let your light shine, just like a bright spot light or a colorful neon sign so that people see Jesus in you. Jesus is a wonderful Lord and a marvelous hope (Martens § 16), and He wants you, His redeemed Christian disciple, to point the way to Him as the Savior of the world. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, Your Name is glorious, shine forth Your loving kindness and faithfulness to save all men and women from the darkness of their sins. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

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Martens, Gottfried. A sermon preached on 2. August 2009 (8. Trinitatis) in Berlin-Zehlendorf, Germany on Matthew 5,13-16. Copyright © 2011 St. Mary Church in Berlin-Zehlendorf (SELK). All rights reserved. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2011.

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Mark 7,31-37. 12th Sunday after Trinity

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Luke 18,9-14. 11th Sunday after Trinity

Monday, August 10, 2015

Luke 19,41-48. 10th Sunday after Trinity

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Matthew 25,14-30. 9th Sunday after Trinity

Monday, August 3, 2015

Matthew 5,13-16. 8th Sunday after Trinity