Sermon: Ash Wednesday - 2020

26 February 2020

Text: Matt 6:1-21 (Joel 2:12-19, 2 Pet 1:2-11)

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

The celebrations are over.  The feast has drawn to a close.  Our carnival, the farewell to the flesh, has ended.  We are now in a different season, a time of introspection.  The feast has given way to the fast.

Now is the time to examine ourselves and heed the call to repent.  It is a time of discipline and self-denial. 

Of course, none of us likes this.  We would much rather continue having parades and king cakes and parties year round.  But real life doesn’t work that way, dear friends.  Not in this fallen world.  As the preacher says in the Book of Ecclesiastes, “to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” 

There is a time for the feast, and a time for the fast.  There are times of plenty, and times of want.  There are times of joy, and times of sorrow.  There are times of putting our feet up, and times of putting our nose to the grindstone.

The Lord speaks through the prophet Joel to us this very day, brothers and sisters: “Return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”

“Blow the trumpet in Zion,” He says.  “Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people.  Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants.”  And that is what we are doing here, dear brothers and sisters.

The Lord has gathered us here to pray.  And just as He has marked us with the sign of the cross at our baptism, he has reminded us, also with the sign of the cross, that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.  That black ashen smudge is a reminder of what we so often like to forget: because of our sins, we are mortal.  Because of our transgressions, our world is in chaos, filled with bickering, plagued by violence, and filled with pain.  And it is not someone else’s fault, dear friends.  That ash on your forehead is a reminder that you have contributed handsomely to our predicament, and by your own fault, your own most grievous fault, you have stored up for yourselves the righteous wrath of God.

And so we have consecrated this fast to plead with the Lord for mercy, for “Who knows whether He will not turn and relent.”

We are being called to generosity, dear friends.  We are called to think less of ourselves and more of others.  We are called to use our resources – whether they be our money or time or work – for the sake of those who need it: our families and our community, our church and our neighbors – and even our enemies and those who hate us and persecute us.  We are called to love – and love is not turned in on itself, but love looks outside of itself.  It is not someone else’s job.  It is our job.  If you are not supporting your church or the needs of others, now is a good time to start.  Even a dollar a week is a discipline that everyone can afford.  

Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

And if you are generous in your support of your church and of those in need – you are called to humility, as our Lord says, “Thus when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others.”  We are called to do our good deeds in secret.  For if we give offerings, or pray, or fast – but we are interested in being praised or seen by others – we have missed the point.  And in fact, that kind of self-interest is not love, but rather a kind of lust for approval of men.  And as much as we like the praise of other people, look around.  The very people whose opinions you cherish are marked by the same cross of mortality, the same reminder of sin, just as you are.  The opinion that ought to matter to us is our Father’s opinion – and He sees through all of our hypocrisy and pretension; He cuts to the heart and sees what poor, miserable sinners we all are.

So each one of us is called to repent.  We are called to deeds, not mere words.  We are called to give generously, not put on a show.  We are called to serve God with integrity, not by way of appearances.

But there is still good news amid the fast.  For the fast leads once more to the feast.  Lent makes its way to Easter.  And even the Sundays in Lent are still times of feasting, a break in the fast, an opportunity to rejoice in what our Lord has done for us by dying and rising, by taking our sins to the cross, and winning for us divine pardon and everlasting life.  For the ashen cross on your forehead traces the very same cross that was placed upon your forehead when the waters of Holy Baptism washed you clean from sin, and delivered you from death.  Yes, we are dust, but we are also souls created in the image of God.  Yes, we will return to dust, but we will also rise to newness of life, in the flesh, in the “resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”

Our work is not in vain.  Our resistance against the devil is not for nothing.  Our struggle to lead lives of holiness is a holy quest.  Our stepping up of our offerings to church and to those in need will bear real fruit in the kingdom of God – for us, and for all of those in need of sharing in the blessings with which our Lord has blessed us.

And He has indeed blessed us, dear friends.  We have roofs over our heads.  We have food on the tables.  We have a country that is prosperous and free.  We have our loved ones.  We have this beautiful sanctuary where the Lord provides us with the Gospel and the Sacraments.  We have salvation as a free gift.  We have the opportunity to grow in the Word of God and in prayer.  We have the privilege to be of service to Him and to our neighbor.  And we have the feast to look forward to when this time of penance yields to the time of celebration yet again.

Let the words of the apostle Peter guide us through this forty day Lenten journey that will culminate on Good Friday and will lead us to Easter Sunday: “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”

And even though we are not saved by our works, our works nevertheless help us to grow in faith.  And we are saved through our faith.  This is why St. Peter says, “If you practice these qualities, you will never fall.  For in this way there will be provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

And so look at the crosses on your forehead and on the foreheads of others.  And indeed, remember, O man, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.  Let this reality spur you on to repentance and good works for the sake of the kingdom.  But remember something else, O man, remember dear brother, dear sister, that you are marked by the cross in remembrance of your baptism.  The soot of sin and death has been washed away by the blood of our Lord and by the reality that it was the Father’s will that you were baptized.  You have been called out of the world: the fallen world of sin and death.  Let us fast as a reminder of our Lord’s cross, and let us look forward to the feast: this coming Sunday, then the feast of Easter, and finally the feast that will never end as we are seated at the table in eternity – when all fasting, all pain, all sorrow, all sin, and all death will be remembered no more!  Let us remember the Lord’s love and mercy, now and even unto eternity.

Remember, O man.  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Wittenberg Academy – Feb 25 (Mardi Gras)

25 February 2020

Text: John 8:21-38

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

Our Lord’s words today are as relevant as ever.  For Jesus speaks of “truth.”  Our current culture is more concerned about feelings.  But in contrast to the world’s desires, the truth is not what we want, what we hope for, or what the majority of people say that it is.  Truth is that which is, that which is real.  And truth is objective.  Truth transcends our feelings.  Our Lord makes no bones about it: “If you abide in my Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

“The truth will set you free.”

For if you are beholden to a lie, you are enslaved by it.  And Satan is the father of lies.  Jesus came to tell the truth.  And as the traditional oath given to legal witnesses reads: Jesus came to tell the truth, “the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”  There is also an old saying: “the truth hurts.”  Yes it does.  For the truth is that we are poor, miserable sinners.  The truth is that we are mortal because of our sin.  The truth is that we deserve to be cast into hell.  The truth is that we cannot save ourselves.  The truth is that we are indebted beyond that we can even hope to pay.

But the truth is also that Jesus has come to pay our debt, and to set us free.  “The truth will set you free.”  And how are we to know this truth, dear friends?  Our Lord made it very clear: “If you abide in My Word.”

Today, most people don’t abide in His Word.  Most people refuse to believe that our Scriptures are true.  And what’s more, many in our culture, including those who are calling the shots in the world, do not believe there is such a thing as objective truth.  Pontius Pilate hinted at this struggle for truth when He asked our Lord at His trial: “What is truth?”  Scripture does not record Him giving an answer.  For the answer was right there before Pilate.  It is interesting that we invoke Pilate’s name every time we recite our creeds.  

The Word of God is true.  It cannot lie.  It never leads us astray.  For it always leads us to Jesus.  And it is Jesus, our incarnate God, who died upon the cross and who rose again, atoning for sin, defeating the devil, and conquering death – it is truly Jesus that makes us free!  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Quinquagesima - 2020

23 February 2020

Text: Luke 18:31-43

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

Our Gospel is a clear contrast between seeing and not seeing.  

The blind beggar on the road to Jericho, obviously, could not see in the physical sense.  But he could see (through the eyes of faith) that Jesus would hear his prayer.  He had faith that Jesus would heal his blindness.  He certainly believed that Jesus had the power to do so.

And so in his faith, seeing in a way that transcended his blind eyes, “He cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’”  And even when he was scolded for doing so, “he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’”

And indeed, Jesus heard his persistent prayer.  He said to the blind man: “‘Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.’  And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Him, glorifying God.”

It was his faith, his belief, that made him well, that allowed the saving power and grace of Jesus to transform him from a blind man to a seeing man.  Jesus will not refuse to hear us when we cry out in faith, seeking His mercy. 

But what about the first part of our Gospel?  Though the twelve have their physical vision, they don’t see what Jesus is teaching them.  They cannot envision it in their mind’s eye.  Our Lord even begins speaking to them with the word, “See.”  “See, we are going up to Jerusalem” where all will be accomplished, everything prophesied, including His arrest, mocking and being spat upon as a prisoner, being flogged, crucified, and arisen on the third day.  Jesus lays it all out before their eyes, but they do not see.  “They understood none of these things.  The saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.”

What irony!  Jesus tells them plainly, but they do not perceive.  They have their vision, but they cannot see.  The blind beggar cannot see, but he has faith.  The twelve lack faith, so that they cannot even put this mental picture together.  It will not form in their minds until after the passion, death, and resurrection have occurred, when the Holy Spirit enlightens them.  Then they will see.  Then they will believe.  Then they will have faith.

Why do some see with the eyes of faith, while others do not?  Why do some believe, while others disbelieve?  This is a mystery.  We cannot see into the hidden things of God.  But what is not hidden, dear friends, is the Word.  The Scripture lays out the Christian faith with the clarity with which our Lord explains what the Twelve will see when they go up to Jerusalem.

And it is by the Word that we receive the eyes of faith.  It is through the sacraments that we can indeed see in our mind’s eye what the Lord teaches us and delivers to us in space and time for the strengthening of our faith.

Everything we need, dear brothers and sisters, is right there, in the Word!  That is, if we are willing to see it, if we are willing to pray to our Lord, “Lord, have mercy.”

For so often, we refuse to see.  We look in the wrong places.  We chase after phony signs and wonders – when all the while, our Lord explains what we need to know for our salvation, for faith.  He explains it clearly in His Word.

I have recently learned that many people see things like dragonflies and cardinals as a sign from God, that somehow our deceased loved ones send us messages by means of insects and birds.  Really?  Is this what Jesus teaches us?  Is this what the Word of God teaches us?  In fact, aren’t we forbidden from trying to communicate with the dead?  Aren’t we specifically told to avoid witchcraft and trying to turn things into omens?  This is what our catechism calls the “Satanic arts,” and these things blind us to the Word of God and its promises.  

We are not revealed the will of God by bugs and birds, but by the very mercy for which the blind beggar prays, and for which we pray in the liturgy,” Lord, have mercy upon us.  Christ, have mercy upon us.  Lord, have mercy upon us.” 

In His mercy, our Lord Jesus Christ reveals to us that He is our Savior.  He reveals to us the gift that is Holy Baptism.  He reveals to us that all who call on His name will be saved.  He reveals to us that our deceased family members and friends are safe with Him.  Jesus scolded the people who constantly sought signs.  He said, “I’m only going to give you one sign, the sign of Jonah.”  Jonah went into the belly of the fish, and rose again on the third day.  Jesus is the New and Greater Jonah, whose sign for us is the resurrection.  Jesus died to pay for our sins, and He rose again as the first fruits, promising eternal life to all who see Him with the eyes of faith, who believe His Word.

There, dear friends, is your sign.  And it is infinitely more reliable and comforting than looking for dragonflies and cardinals.  

St. Paul says, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  But when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.  For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.”  Let us give up childish ways of seeking comfort, and instead of looking to created things, like bugs and birds, let us look to the Creator, who made heaven and earth, who redeemed us by His blood, whose Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies us, giving us the eyes of faith as a gift, so that we too might cry out in faith, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,” knowing that He hears our prayers, and seeing that in Him, the Law and the Prophets were fulfilled, and we have life in His name, and His name alone!

Let us see the truth as it is, not the truth as we expect it, in what our eyes see, like those who overlooked David in our Old Testament reading, because he was but a boy.  While we seek signs and expect the kingdom of God to be what conforms to our preconceived ideas, the Lord does things His way!  And we can understand His ways – at least to the extent that He reveals His ways to us – by being in His Word.  

The Word of God is here for all of us, to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.  Our Lord Jesus hears our prayers – even prayers offered in blindness, though our prayers are offered with the eyes of faith.  The Word of God assures us of our forgiveness, life, and salvation, as well as comforts us in the face of death, because He has destroyed death, and He will raise all of us believers on the Last Day.  In the Word, we see this.  Through the Word, we grasp what He says. 

We see the sign of Holy Baptism, through which the Lord claims us as His own and promises to raise us to everlasting life.  We see the sign of Holy Communion, in which the Bread of Life from Heaven is given to us.  The blood by which we are saved is presented to us.  We eat and we drink, seeing bread and wine with the eyes, and seeing the body and the blood with the eyes of faith.  

And what’s more, dear friends, this sign is not a superstition, like dragonflies and cardinals.  This sign is given by God Himself, as a miracle, by which our faith is strengthened, even as we eat and drink and bring His body and blood into our own flesh.  And where He is, dear friends, there is with Him: “angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.”  That “company” includes our deceased relatives and friends.  They are with Jesus.  And in the Holy Eucharist, Jesus is with us.  We not only commune with our Lord, and with our brothers and sisters at the communion rail, and with Christians spanning the globe, we are communing with the saints in heaven.  During this miraculous sign, we are with Him, and we are with them.

We see them with these eyes of faith.  And let us pray for the Lord to be merciful to us, to grant us faith, to have mercy upon us, so that we indeed might see.  And may our faith make us well, according to the Word.  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

ELCA to Change Name

Satire News Service (SNS) - According to unnamed sources, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America plans on changing its name after recent outrage over the mainline denomination’s racist post of a Bible verse.

On February 11, the ELCA apologized:

Dear siblings in Christ, 

We have been paying very close attention to the conversation created by this post. Thank you all who have voiced your experiences and concerns regarding the language used.

The verse shared here comes from last week’s lectionary readings. As themes of darkness and light will appear again in lectionary readings later in Lent, we have chosen to leave this post and its discussion here so that it can inspire deeper conversation and reflection as we prepare for the season ahead.

We apologize that the language in this post has caused harm, and we recognize that this image can be a painful reminder of the harmful power dynamics, racism and inequity that exist in this church. It is our responsibility to be intentional in our use of images and language. We are committed to this work, and we are committed to learning from our mistakes.


This was in response to the offensive lamp graphic (seen above) with the racist words of the privileged apostle John as recorded in 1 John 1:5.  This is especially egregious, as these words are from the classist King James Version, using sexist and gendered language for the Deity. 

This horrific institutional insensitivity has led to much introspection in the left-leaning Chicago-based denomination. 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a highly placed executive in ELCA leadership said, “I feel like the problem is that we are too white.  I mean, come on, Luther?  A German?  Writing theses in Latin?  Focus groups indicate that this narrative doesn’t connect with our target demographic, especially among left-handed Norwegians whose last names have an odd number of letters.  Our brand needed a refreshing, one that would re-imagine Luther without the whiteness, maleness, and educatedness.  I feel like we need a Luther of Color and a conversation about how unsafe minorities and women feel when confronted by toxic masculine European languages like German and Latin.  We need a Luther who is more in tune with his feminine side and/or non-gender-conformingness.  We began a hashtag campaign called “#LutherSoWhite.”

When asked about what the ELCA would do now, our source revealed that the brand-refreshing would include a name-change. 

“We feel like as a church, we need to be more welcoming to the Other.  For far too long, non-Christians have been marginalized, denied communion, denied the pulpit, and denied the right to serve at our altars.  This is unacceptable, and must change.  We want to be a safe, welcoming space for those who do not believe the Bible, as well as those who have been vilified and demonized by historical Christian texts.  One of the most ostracized of all, the one most demonized by the white male hegemony of the church of the last five hundred years, is Satan.  We feel like it’s time to stop the marginalization and to be more loving.

Our source continued, “We decided to change our name to the Evangelical Luciferian Church in America,” so that we could keep the iconic ELCA logo, while creating a safe space for those whose voices have been silenced by so-called Christian orthodoxy.  We feel like this is a win-win for our church and for all people of faith.  We also feel like this will attract a lot of important Luciferian celebrities, encourage ongoing goddess-worship, as well as show our support for Planned Parenthood.”

We do not know the time-frame of the new branding, nor whether or not the church body’s recognizable round earth trademark will also include a pentagram.

A More Welcoming and Inclusive ELCA

Sermon: Wittenberg Academy – Feb 18 (St. Martin Luther)

18 February 2020

Text: John 6:22-40

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

Today we honor St. Martin Luther – priest, doctor, confessor, theologian, preacher, and reformer.  Luther’s life was centered on feeding the hungry – not those who hungered for worldly meat and drink, but those who hungered for the Bread of Life at a time when the Church was not carrying out its Petrine charge to “feed My lambs.”  Instead of feeding the faithful with the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Church hierarchy of Luther’s day was fleecing the flock, lying, and engaging in corruption, sexual immorality, and false doctrine.

And some jurisdictions within the church are still more focused on money and sex and power than the Bread of Life.

We whom history has misnamed as “Lutherans” must heed the preaching of Dr. Luther, for he preached Christ crucified.  He preached the Gospel.  He preached us right to the communion rail to receive the Blessed Sacrament of our Lord Jesus Christ: that is, the very Bread of Life!

Our Lord Jesus often cautioned His hearers about seeking after signs.  This remains a problem for all Christians.  Many times as a pastor I have heard survivors claim that pennies on the ground (or other such things) were signs from their departed loved ones.  And we are not wrong to desire signs, dear friends.  St. John refers to our Lord’s miracles as signs.  But we need to look in the right place for signs.  We need to look to Christ alone.

If you visit New Orleans, you will see an impressive basilica cathedral in the heart of the city.  And just outside the doors, lined up like an opposing army, you will see tables of fortune tellers with tarot cards.  You will see both tourists and locals seeking after signs.  Many of these people are Christians.  Some claim it is just for fun.  But people indeed spend a lot of money seeking after signs to tell them what to do.  All the while, dear friends, our Lord tells us what we need to know – in the Scriptures, in the preaching of the Gospel, in Holy Absolution, and in the Sacrament of the Altar, where we literally eat the bread of Life, and we drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament.  

The Lord Jesus Christ gives Himself on the cross as a sign – a sign of the forgiveness of sins.  He gives you Holy Baptism as a sign – a sign that the promise is for you!  He gives you the Holy Eucharist as a sign – a sign that your body and your soul are nourished by the Bread of Life, by the Lord’s command and gracious invitation!  And the Lord Jesus tells us what these signs point to: “Everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day.”

Dr. Luther received what the Lord taught him.  And he preached and taught and confessed and stood for the truth in the face of malicious and evil people who sought his death.  Luther exposed the sham of the cult of the saints, the perverted clergy, the lies, the shameful appropriation of the blessed mother of God as a goddess, and worst of all, the superstition that your salvation is earned by your good works instead of by the grace of feeding on the Bread of Life that the Lord provides His Church today even as He provided for His Church of old in the form of manna from heaven.

Grace is free.  It is not for sale.  It isn’t found in worthless indulgences or stupid tarot cards.  Luther preached the Word of God and reminded the Church of the sign of the cross: our Lord’s atoning grace, and our dependence upon the Word of God, that is, the “true bread from heaven.”  For all of this, we confess with St. Martin, “It is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.  This is most certainly true.”  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Sexagesima - 2020

16 February 2020

Text: Luke 8:4-15

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

The Parable of the Sower is one of the most comforting and one of the most frustrating passages of Scripture.  

The sower, of course, is the preacher, and the seed is the Word of God.  The power is not in the preacher.  The preacher is only the one who casts the seed.  The little seed is where the power is.  But as Jesus teaches us, what prevents the mighty power of the Word of God from working is not a defect in the seed – and unless the preacher is not preaching the Word of God – the problem isn’t in the preacher either.  And in fact, the preacher doesn’t even use his intelligence to find the best place to sow.  Rather he just recklessly throws seed everywhere, “to men who like or like it not.”

The reason the church grows or shrinks is the soil, that is, the receptivity of the hearers of the Word.  Some people harden their hearts, and the Word never makes a dent.  Others accept it at first, but they are shallow and have no sense of being rooted in the church, and they fall away.  Others start off well, but get distracted by the “cares and riches and pleasures of life,” and they too fall away.

But to the good soil, to those who hear the Word, week after week, and “hold it fast in an honest and good heart,” they will “bear fruit with patience.” For the Word of God is life-transforming.  The Word not only changes that one life, but the lives of others who come into contact with this “good soil” – even a “hundredfold.”

Over the last several decades, the church has shrunk.  Not just our parish, but all of Christianity in our country.  And not just in our country, but in the western world.  In Europe, the beautiful cathedrals are, this very day, empty, while the mosques are full.  The church bells are replaced by the loudspeakers calling faithful Muslims to worship in Arabic.  Formerly Christian people no longer care about God.  They are obsessed with sexuality and food and entertainment.  

In our own country, young people are discouraged from marrying young and having children.  And yet, high school girls are introduced to contraception – often without their parents’ knowledge.  Among some ethnic groups, there are more abortions than live births.  We are approaching a birthrate where we can’t even replace ourselves.  

We see the effect of this in increasingly small families.

Moreover, most younger people are not interested in Christianity.  Some are, of course.  But most don’t know the Bible, and they don’t care.  The Divine Service just isn’t a priority in their lives.  They have no commitment.  To them, supporting their church financially would be a waste of money – money that could be used for fun.  Fewer and fewer people see themselves as having a responsibility to future generations for the survival of our churches.  Our synod has recently gone from ten universities to eight, as decreasing enrollment has led to the closure of two of our Concordia colleges.

So why is there so little good soil?  Why are so many people distracted by the “cares and riches and pleasures of life” – if they even allow the seed to germinate at all?  Of course, the answer is sin.  We are not compelled to be part of the church.  God created us free, and we, like Adam and Eve, so often misuse our freedom.

And while gurus and experts peddle programs for church growth, while rich bureaucrats and experts try to convince us parish pastors that it’s our fault because we aren’t targeting better soil, or we’re not using marketing or psychological manipulation on our parishioners – our Lord teaches us how it all works in His kingdom.  And He works through the Word.

Sin inhibits the church from doing its work to save the world.  And the soil is bad, dear friends, because we need to repent.  Do you see all these empty pews?  That’s what it looks like when you choose not to come to the Divine Service.  Do you see the decaying culture all around us?  That’s the result of Christians living just like everyone else instead of being separate, instead of being salt and light for the world.  Do you see the closed Christian schools and colleges?  Do you see the financial statement in your bulletin?  That’s because of soil that is unreceptive to the Word – both ours who are here (myself included), as well as those who are quick to tell you that they are members of Salem Lutheran Church, or that they are life-long Missouri Synod Lutherans, or that they are Christians – and yet do not attend, do not pay attention to the preaching, and do not give of their blessings in time and money to support the church’s work.

For the bad soil has other priorities.  The bad soil looks at the little seed and is unimpressed.  But good soil sees the little seed of God’s Word not as a boring little speck that means nothing, but rather the good soil sees the seed with the eyes of faith, and through belief in the seed’s imbedded power, the good soil sees the seed as a fruitful redwood forest thousands of years old.

Dear friends, our Lord is calling us to repent, to come out of Babylon, to stop living like unbelievers, to treasure the Word of God, to pay rapt attention when the deacon reads the precious and holy words of Scripture, and to listen attentively when the pastor reads the Gospel and preaches.  Neither the seed nor the sower will force you to receive the Word of God.  You are free. 

But don’t use your freedom to your destruction, dear friends.  Your eternal life depends upon the Word implanting and growing in you.  Use your freedom to receive the Word of God, which is the very love of God manifested in Jesus Christ, in His Word read and preached, and in the Word that you eat and drink.  Our Lord is pleading with us now to repent and to open our hearts and our minds to the power of His Word.  The Word connects us to the cross, and the Word of the cross is the power of God – because it is how our Lord forgives us and renews us.

And so if you are guilty of being bad soil, don’t despair.  For Jesus came to save sinners.  Bad soil becomes good soil by the Lord’s grace, by being convicted by the Law and hearing and believing the Gospel: the good news that you are saved by grace alone, through the good soil of faith.  The power is not in yourself, nor in the preacher – only but in the Word.

Hear the Word, dear friends!  Revel in the Word.  Love the time that you have here in this holy place with the Lord who loves you, and who has nothing but love and life to give you, tossed about recklessly like a farmer throwing seeds everywhere, not counting the cost, and not trying to ascertain the goodness of the soil.

And when you receive this seed, when it takes root, when it grows, when it is nurtured and when it grows – you will be the same blessing to future generations – both your own children and others – just as your parents and grandparents and forbears were to you.  

For in Christ, this commitment is our duty but also our joy and our delight.  In the Lord’s kingdom, we give by receiving; we are a blessing by being blessed.

May God the Father,

God the Son,

And God the Spirit bless us!

Let all the world praise Him alone,

Let solemn awe possess us.

Now let our hearts say, “Amen.”

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Wittenberg Academy – Feb 11

11 February 2020

Text: John 4:7-26

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

Look at all the brokenness in this passage!  First, there is the division between the children of Abraham: Jews and the Samaritans (“for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans”).  Next, there is the fact that the Samaritans are spiritually lost, whose religion has some elements of the truth, but has gone terribly astray (“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but You say Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship”).  Third, this woman has made a mess of her life with promiscuity and a shredding of Holy Matrimony. 

But in spite of dysfunction upon dysfunction, look at the magnificence of our Lord coming to her as her Savior!  Our Lord neither tolerates her sin and the discord of the world, nor does He berate, scold, and condemn.  He does not look the other way and excuse the devastation wrought by the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, nor does He call down fire and brimstone.  Jesus is a preacher of Law and Gospel, and He has come to call people to repent and believe the Gospel, to take part in the “spring of water welling up to eternal life,” and to heal and restore the brokenness of our fallen world.

Our Lord proclaims to this broken woman, and all of the broken world, that “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.”  Notice the baptismal and Trinitarian nature of this seeking out of “people to worship Him!”  We see the Father, we see the Son: the Truth (“I am the way, the truth, and the life”), and we see the Spirit.  We see the “living water” by which the Father calls us to worship Him, having been reborn and healed of our sins.  And we see that this is both now and not yet (“The hour is coming, and is now here”).

Our Lord’s proclamation of Law and Gospel is pastoral care – from the Good Shepherd Himself.  His preaching is baptismal, and is both incarnational in time, and eschatological in eternity.  In other words, the Father calls sinners to Himself to save them, by sending the Son to them, who preaches and baptizes, who gives them the Spirit, who remains with them in the present, and promises them everlasting in eternity!

This is the pattern of the Church’s preaching, dear friends.  This is the “order of salvation.”  This is why our Lord sent preachers equipped with the living water of baptism to go out into the world – to the broken and the sinful, to the lost and the weary, to call them to a more excellent way, and to give them life!

And even as our Lord revealed Himself as the Messiah, as the fulfillment of the prophets, so too do we confess Him who said to the woman at the well: “I who speak to you am He.”  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Septuagesima - 2020

9 February 2020

Text: Matt 20:1-16

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

In His Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, Jesus taps into the source of a lot of today’s division and anger and rage: fairness.  Is it fair for people to be paid at different hourly rates – even for the same job?

In the story, the owner of the vineyard hires workers to work all day for a denarius (which was a silver coin).  That was the standard market rate for a twelve-hour day’s work.

But the owner also hires more workers as the day goes on, obviously for less time – as the work can only go on until sundown.  The boss promises to pay these more recent workers “whatever is right.”  Of course, this is the set-up of the story.  Our notion of fairness would be that everyone would be paid the same hourly rate, because we believe in equal pay for equal work.  And in fact, the last group of workers are hired so late in the day that they only work for one hour.  

But to their amazement, the owner pays everyone – starting with the last group that only worked for an hour – the same denarius, as if they all worked all day.  The 12-hour workers who “have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat” thought they would receive more, but to their amazement, they were given a denarius just as they were promised.

So the ones who worked longest were paid only a bit more than eight percent of the rate paid to the guys who worked only an hour.  And so they “grumbled.”

Today, they would probably do more than grumble.  There would be complaints lodged with government agencies.  There would be outrage on social media.  There would probably be protests and accusations of bias and “unfair labor practices.”  At any rate, our sense of unfairness today is the same as when our Lord told the parable.  

And that’s the point!

For how did our Lord begin this parable, dear friends?  He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like…”  God’s kingdom does not work like the world.  In the world, we expect employers to treat people fairly according to our own perceptions (although, as the owner of the vineyard points out, even that perception doesn’t consider that the owner is indeed allowed to do what he chooses with what belongs to him, and the workers’ outrage is indeed begrudging his generosity).  

The kingdom doesn’t work like the world, because salvation is not a wage.  It isn’t something that we deserve.  Our Lord makes this point by comparing God to the vineyard owner in the story.  God is the owner.  God owns everything.  And so He is indeed allowed to do what He chooses with what belongs to Him.  We are not the owners, dear friends.  We are merely workers in the vineyard.  God owns the vineyard.  He is not unfair, because even those whom we perceive to be paid unequally, are paid according to the contract.  But to some, He shows unearned kindness.  He shows grace.  He gives them what they have not earned.  It is a gift.  And who are we to begrudge His generosity?

Many years ago, there was a terrorist in this country who planted a bomb in a federal building in Oklahoma.  He killed 168 people, including children at a daycare center.  Before he was executed, he met with his pastor.  When some suggested that this terrorist had salvation, there was grumbling and outrage – for if anyone deserved to suffer in hell, it was this guy.  About the same time, there was also a famous serial killer who was caught and sent to prison for life.  He converted to Christianity, confessed his gruesome crimes, was baptized, and lived the rest of his life as a Christian – until he was murdered in prison.  After his death, when his pastor wrote about this killer’s conversion (which he believed to be genuine), the pastor was met with grumbling and outrage – even vitriolic hatred – for suggesting that there could be a denarius for this undeserving worker in the vineyard.

For what did these mass murderers deserve?  Of course, they deserved death and hell.  Or as we say in our confession “temporal and eternal punishment.”  In other words, they deserved what we deserve.  The denarius for what we have earned in this life is death and hell.  That is what all of us would be paid if God were fair according to our perceptions, dear friends.  As St. Paul teaches us, “the wages of sin is death.” 

So do you really want God to be fair, to pay you the wages you deserve?  Or do you want grace?  Do you want a kingdom of God where a serial killer can begin to labor in the vineyard late in the day, even working a single hour, and still be given salvation by the owner of the vineyard?  Will you grumble about it?  Will you begrudge the Owner’s generosity?

For that’s what this perceived unfairness is, dear brothers and sisters.  It is not unfairness, but generosity.  It is grace.  It is the opportunity for all of us to receive that which we don’t deserve, because in fact, we are in debt.  We owe the owner for our sins and transgressions.  As Jesus teaches in other parables – and even in the Lord’s Prayer – we are in debt, and we cannot pay it back.  But the owner Himself pays our debt by means of the blood of Christ shed on the cross.  Your debt is wiped out, and you are paid even though Jesus (not you) has “borne the burden of the day” on Good Friday, and the “scorching heat” of the cross.  And so we are paid a denarius of salvation, we “who believe and are baptized” as our Lord promises, regardless of whether we were baptized just after drawing our first breath, or even just before drawing our last.  In God’s kingdom, the “last will be first, and the first last.”

And as St. Paul says, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And there is something else about this remarkable parable, dear friends.  Our grumbling and outrage at a sinner being forgiven exposes our own sins.  For we perceive ourselves as deserving more than other “poor miserable sinners.”  We don’t.  And that is why our Lord tells this parable.  It is a wake up call.  It is a call to humility and appreciation of His grace.  We do far too much grumbling about others when we need to get to work ourselves.  We are too concerned about what others are paid for their work, and not concerned about our own work.

For our Master is generous, dear friends.  He does what He chooses with what belongs to Him.  And in His mercy, He chooses to save us.  He chooses to pour His grace upon the world.  He chooses to save us through baptism and preaching.  He chooses to give us His blood by means of the Lord’s Supper.  He chooses to come to us in His Word.  He chooses to absolve us of our sins and forgive all of our debt.  And even at this late hour, by grace, He continues to hand out the denarius of salvation to any and all who call upon His name.

That is what the kingdom of heaven is like, dear friends.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Wittenberg Academy – Feb 4

4 February 2020

Text: John 1:1-18

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….  All things were made through Him… In Him was life, and the and the life was the light of men….  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Thus confesses the disciple whom Jesus loved, the youngest of the twelve, the last of the apostles to die, the disciple who took the Blessed Virgin Mary into his own home to live, the bishop who ordained St. Polycarp into the Office of the Holy Ministry.  Through St. John, the Holy Spirit has revealed the truth of who our Lord Jesus Christ is: confounding both those who would say that our Lord is only a man, as well as those who would scoff at His incarnation.  This passage is about the sublime love and grace of God, and leaves no wiggle room about our Lord and His ministry.

How sad that people reduce Christianity to things that pale in comparison to the lofty and glorious truth about God becoming a baby to rescue us from death and hell!  To most people – and even to many people bearing the name “Christian” – Christianity is reduced to an ethical system, a call to “be nice,” a political philosophy that just so happens to resemble Marxism.

But what does the apostle and the evangelist teach us?  Jesus is God in the flesh.  Jesus is eternal.  Jesus is the Creator.  And Jesus also humbled Himself to become a one-celled zygote in the womb of Mary.  Moreover, Jesus came into our darkness – our world of sin and mortality, of discord and self-centeredness, of hatred and self-righteousness, of unbelief and the deification of idols – and He shines the uncreated light of His transfigured face into this gaping darkness, and He reveals it to be nothing.  The monster under the bed is really just a slipper with a hole in it.  The 800 pound gorilla that stalks us is nothing more than a shadow on the wall.  Satan is a defeated and defanged enemy – for darkness cannot abide light.  Our Lord is indeed “the light of men,” and “darkness has not overcome it.”

St. John the Evangelist begins his Gospel here: “In the beginning,” and he jumps to the ministry of John the Baptist – who will point the entire world of every age to the Word Made Flesh, saying: “Behold the Lamb of God that takest away the sin of the world!”  And we too sing this confession in defiance of the unbelieving (but deceived) world and the believing (but deceiving) devil every time we gaze upon the veiled forms of bread and wine that are indeed the body and blood of the Word: the God made flesh!

This passage that comes to us by both the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the inspired pen of St. John the Evangelist and Apostle and beloved friend of Jesus.  This passage leaves no room for the reduction of Jesus to a mere teacher or philosopher.  Rather, we rejoice in our Lord and our God who heroically takes flesh and dwells in our midst, who is the Light of the World, who dies on the cross for our redemption, and who rises again for our justification.

“In the beginning was the Word…. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”  “Behold the Lamb of God that takest away the sin of the world.”  To Him, our God and Savior, be glory, now and even unto eternity!  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon: Transfiguration - 2020

2 February 2020

Text: Matt 17:1-9 (Ex 34:29-35, 2 Pet 1:16-21)

In the name of + Jesus.  Amen.

In His mercy, God does not permit us to see everything.  We cannot look into the future.  We don’t see the warfare around us between angels and demons.  We can’t see all of the bacteria around us, or the air, or electrical waves, or even things hidden by walls.  We couldn’t live day to day if everything were visible to us.

Indeed, most of the universe is hidden from us, but nevertheless, it exists.  As we say in the Creed, God is the “maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.”

And because He is merciful, the Lord hides His glory from us poor, miserable sinners.  For even a glimpse of God Almighty would be more than we could handle.  The people even became afraid of the face of Moses after he spoke with God on Mount Sinai, to the point where Moses had to wear a veil to keep his face from shining with the reflected glory of God.

And as much as we think that we would like to see beneath the veil, God knows that we are not really equipped to see such things as they are – especially the things of God.  

You see this very genuine reaction of terror from Peter, James, and John when our Lord Jesus Christ figuratively unveils Himself on the Mountain of Transfiguration.  Unlike Moses, whose face only reflected God’s glory, our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and is God’s glory.  

And the three disciples also saw something normally hidden to us: those who have departed this life.  Normally, they are part of the “invisible” – and we are told not to even try to communicate with the dead.  But Jesus allows Peter and James and John to see Moses and Elijah in a heavenly vision.  And they were talking to Jesus.  And in the midst of all of this, Jesus “was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.”

Transfiguration is the Latin version of the Greek word “metamorphosis.”  Both words mean to “change form.”  The ordinary Jesus that they knew so well, took on His hidden form: the form of the face of God.  And they perceived this now-revealed form as pure radiant energy, as a blast of light like the sun.  That is not something you would be liable to forget.  And indeed, St. Peter called this incident to mind in our epistle reading.

The earliest illustration of Jesus that we know of is the icon that we have on our altar.  The original is from the sixth century.  The two halves of our Lord’s face are intentionally different, reflecting His two natures: divine and human.  And this is what the disciples saw that fearful but joyful day of Transfiguration.  Jesus unveiled His face to show them the glory of God.  For He was soon to be crucified and put to death.  Peter, James, and John would have a vision of the divine Jesus to get them through a difficult time when their faith was to be shaken.

And even the Father’s normal silence was broken, as Peter, James, and John heard Him say, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him.”

Listen to Him, dear friends.  Listen to Jesus!  For He comes to you in His Word: the Word of His mercy, the Word of life and salvation, of forgiveness and eternal joy.  He comes to us robed in light, for He is the Light of the World, which we see through the eyes of faith.  

“When the disciples heard this,” says St. Matthew, “they fell on their faces and were terrified.”  Like the people who saw the glory of God on the face of Moses, their natural reaction was one of fear.  And we know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  But Jesus comforts them in their fear, “Rise and have no fear,” He commands, touching them.

“And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.”  Jesus only, dear friends!  The one who has come to comfort them, yes, and to save them – He becomes the only thing that they see.  The revealed truth is once more hidden.  Moses and Elijah return beyond the veil.  The radiant face of Jesus becomes their familiar Teacher once more.  And the voice of the Father will be found again only in the Scriptures.  The veil is put back in place – but Peter and James and John know what they saw.  They confess the reality that was revealed to them.  They have seen the divinity of Jesus!  And instead of dying, as Scripture says happens to those who see God, it will be our Lord who will die for them, even as they will live! 

Interestingly, St. Peter refers to this vision to convince his readers that the apostles “did not follow cleverly devised myths” in preaching of the “power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  For they were “eyewitnesses of His majesty.” 

They saw the light.  They heard the voice “borne from heaven” as they were with Jesus “on the holy mountain.”  And yet, dear friends, “we have something more sure,” says the holy apostle.  More sure than even the vision of the invisible, the lifting of the veil, the audible voice of the Father, and the radiant glow of the face of our divine Lord?  What could be “more sure” than that?  St. Peter says, “the prophetic Word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.”

For even as St. Peter saw the transfigured light of Christ, he still points us to the Holy Word, that which the Psalmist called a “lamp to my feet” and a “light to my path.”  For “no prophet of Scripture,” says St. Peter, “comes from someone’s own interpretation.”  For the Word of God was given to the writers of the Scriptures, “carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

For in the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, we experience the Word of God, Jesus, the Word made flesh.  He is revealed in the light of the Scriptures, dear friends.  And Peter says, “you will do well to pay attention.”

Hearing the Scriptures read may not seem that great or profound to the naked eye.  But there is an underlying reality that we don’t see, but is revealed to the eyes of faith.  Reading and studying the Scriptures is not dramatic, but something supernatural happens every time you are exposed to the Word of God.  For when you hear and read the Word of God, you are indeed following the instructions of God the Father: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”

Listen to Him, dear brothers and sisters, as if your life depends on it – because it does.  Listen to Him, for He has the words of eternal life.  Where else would you go?  Listen to Him, for His Word is a lamp to your feet, a light to your path, and they are the very truth revealed by the Holy Spirit.  Listen to Him, for He converses with Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, and fulfills both.  Listen to Him, because He gives you the free gift of forgiveness, of life, of salvation!

And when you listen to Him in His Word, and when you likewise experience Him in the Holy Sacrament veiled behind the forms of bread and wine, Jesus will touch you and command you to “have no fear,” and instead of the horrific things of this world of sin and death, when you lift up your eyes, you will see “Jesus only,” for Jesus only is your life and your salvation.  In His mercy, God will not permit you to see everything, but He will allow you to see everything that you need for eternal life – even Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.