Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity - September 27, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (September 27, 2009)

“Restored”

Readings: Psalm
1 Kings 17:17-24
Ephesians 3:13-21
Luke 7:11-17

Sermon Form Deductive

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

The text for today’s message as recorded in the Old Testament Lesson from the 7th chapter of Luke:

Luke 7:11-17 (NASB95)

“11 Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. 12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “ Do not weep.”14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “ Young man , I say to you, arise !” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” 17 This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.”

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

All too often, we are confronted with the reality of loss. Whether it be the loss of a relationship. Whether it be the loss of a loved on to debilitating disease or death. Whether it be the loss of our own health, or even the loss of things we have worked hard to achieve but have not attained as we desire. In today’s text (as well as the Old Testament lesson), we see God’s response to a great loss. Scripture tells us that it happened that Jesus journeyed to a city called "Nain", and His disciples accompanied Him, as well a large crowd.

Now Nain was a small, out of the way town— really like the crossroads of Estey, just North of town, in fact even today the population is only about 1600. Even though Jesus had plenty of important things to do, He decided that it was important for Him to go help a widow in Nain. Because with Jesus, nobody is below His concern, even widows in small towns. But as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only begotten son of his mother, herself being a widow, and a great crowd was with her.

In that time, it was horrible to be a widow , because they had no inheritance. They were completely dependent on their sons to care for them, and now, this widow lost not only her husband, but her “only begotten son”

Quite frankly, It’s not great to be a widow or a widower today, either. Nobody likes to lose people they care about. It’s hard to get used to loss—you may never get used to it in this life and when we lose someone or something we value, we cry; we get angry; we feel lost.

When the Lord saw her, He was moved with compassion for her and said to her, "Don't cry." But sometimes when we express grief over loss, it sometimes comes out the wrong way. You see someone you love who’s hurting and say, “Don’t cry.”Because you care so much, you don’t want that person to be sad. But keeping back the tears doesn’t make the sadness go away.

And yet, in today’s text, Jesus said to this woman who’d lost everything, “Don’t cry!” And that could be taken as a very insensitive comment. But no, Jesus had a reason to tell her not to cry. Because He didn’t want her to be lost in her sorrow. But He alone, the Lord of life, could and would do something about it.

The only begotten son of the widow was dead. But the only begotten Son of God was there to take care of things. And so Jesus Christ, gave her a reason not to cry. The Lord sees you, too...He knows your sorrow—He has lost many of those He loves to the gates of hell. And He is determined not to lose you. He has chosen you—hand-picked you. You belong to Him, and He says the same to you, whatever your loss—don’t cry. And so as Jesus approached and touched the coffin, and the bearers stopped. And He said, "Young man, to you I say, 'Arise!'"

Now, to understand fully what was going on here, we need a little Old Testament background, touching a dead body would make the one touching it unclean, it was to be avoided if possible. But Jesus wasn’t afraid of that, because the Prince of life can’t be corrupted by death. Instead of being corrupted by the death of the widow’s son, He raised the man to life, just like Elijah, just like Elisha. But Jesus did not do this by calling on the power of God. Jesus did this because His spoken Word is power the power of God.

This same Word of God, brought you to life out of the death of sin. He gave you faith through Holy Baptism. And through faith, He has given this gift of eternal life to you. And the Word of God does more than just raise us out of sin. The day will soon come when Jesus will again say to you and to me, “Arise!”

And all we have lost will be regained. Our loved ones who have died in the faith, our health, and all we hold dear will be restored to us. On the cross, the only-begotten Son of God entered into death so He could bring us into eternal life. And so this dead man to whom Jesus spoke, sat up, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

And so we can ask...What have you lost? Who do you think you have lost? When you find yourself feeling empty and alone, what are you lacking? What keeps you from being complete? And God’s answer is, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus will restore it to you when He restores all things.

But wait, in this crowd that was following Jesus, fear took hold of all, and then they began glorifying God, saying that, "A great prophet has arisen among us," and that, "God has visited His people." And this word went out all over Judea about Him and all the surrounding region. Why were they so excited? They knew that Jesus restoring this man to life was not a one-time event. And in fact, they were right it was not a one time event, but rather a miracle performed by Jesus that occurs over and over again. Jesus would heal and raise the daughter of Jairus and He would raise Lazarus too. And then, Christ raised Himself from the dead after He died for our sin. And He now gives this gift of resurrection freely to you and to me and to all who would believe in Him.

The crowd around Jesus was right, Because indeed God has visited and redeemed His people. Today you are the crowd, and He visits you today with words of comfort and healing, hope and forgiveness. Today you are the crowd, and He comes to you in His true body and blood in Holy Communion. Everyday Christ reminds you that you are indeed not alone and gently says to you, “Don’t cry.” And one day very soon, He will come to you, touch you and comfort you and Jesus Christ will wipe away every tear from your eye in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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The Rite of Holy Matrimony - The Wedding of Ryan & Hope Wright

The Church Season of Pentecost
The Rite of Holy Matrimony
Ryan Eric Wright – Hope Elizabeth Cox
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (September 26, 2009)

“AN ENDURING LOVE”

Reading: John 15:9-17

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 15th chapter of St. John, especially the following verse:

John 15:9-17

9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and His Church to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy marriage.

Hope, and Ryan, dear family and friends,

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

This is a wonderful day in which Our Lord Jesus Christ offers His blessings to you Hope and Ryan, in this rite of Holy Matrimony. Up until now you were a couple, from today on you will be husband and wife. The lesson from the Bible for today is from the book of John and it is perfect for this day because it talks in great detail about love. And Christ’s final word for us all and especially to you Hope and Ryan on this day is His command, for you to, “Love each other.”(v. 17) But that is not where Jesus began this little piece of scripture, He began by talking about God’s love for Him, and then followed Christ’s love for His disciples, and then He talked about loving each other. It is a perfect description of love in three parts. And all that is not by mere chance, or fate, or simply by dumb luck. And quite frankly your love for each other is none of those things either. God’s love for His Son Jesus Christ is real. Christ’s love for us, His people, is real. Hope and Ryan, your love for each other today is abundantly real. And all that love is,

“AN ENDURING LOVE”

Now when people think of enduring love, the first thing that does not pop into their minds is the love which they see in newlyweds. Instead they would probably think of some of their relatives or family friends who they know that have been married for years and years. It would only seem logical, wouldn’t it, that two people who have been married for such a very a long time must have a different kind of love to remain a family and endure together for such long a time?

But no matter what anybody says, it is indeed an enduring love which has brought you both here together this day. For it is not by simple chance, nor is it by coincidence that you stand here together today. God had a plan for you, and it stemmed from His enduring love for you. For soon after you were born Hope, you were baptized and made a child of God. Through the Water combined with God’s Word you received God’s salvation which endures forever. And what about you Ryan? Well you too were baptized. Maybe not as an infant, in fact it was just yesterday, but all the same God had a plan for you too. And God’s plan was to bring you Ryan, and you Hope together.

The Holy Spirit has indeed worked faith in both of you and he did so when you heard of His saving grace, Whether you heard God’s Holy Word from the lips of a pastor or from a reassuring and dear dear family member, God did create and nurture faith in both of you. And He accomplished that in the water’s of Holy Baptism, for there you made a part of the same family, God’s forever family. And if I may brag just a tad, it was Pastor Wright who baptized two out of three Wright’s in your new family. Yet I must admit, though the water flowed from the baptismal font through my hands to baptize Ryan and Chloe, it was not my work, nor was it my grace, nor was it my blessing which you received. I do stand here in God’s stead and by His command, but it was indeed God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which brought you all together. So you are all in His forever family and at the same time you are now a family together.

Soon you will speak your wedding vows and in all these words, you will note that you Ryan will speak them directly to Hope, and Hope you will speak them directly to Ryan. In these vows you will speak of your enduring love for each another. And for all the reasons you will promise each other, you will be united to one another, and “you will become one flesh.”(Genesis 2:24) Your responsibility now will be to God and to each other and to “love each other.”(v. 17 ) and to love Chloe too. And half of the promises you will make in your vows will be easy to keep, “for better, for richer, and in health.” Yet enduring love means that you will also endure together the other half of those promises, meaning the “for worse, for poorer, and in sickness.” And even more than that there will be other challenges from this world and the people in it. There will be challenges when you fail each other or even fail yourselves. But remember we are all human and we fall to sin, and so in those times remember what enduring love is, it endures all things. For no matter what happens, God will always be there to forgive you, to support you, and to love you, for His mercy is endless, in fact His mercy endures forever.

Today Hope and Ryan you stand in the presence of God as His baptized children. God called you by name, and brought you both together, to be here together, in His church on this very day. And God will be with you each and every day, whether it be a day of enduring love or day which is to be endured, either way, God is with you. For He first loved you both and He loved you so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ, for you. And Jesus Christ loved you so much and everyone in this world, that in love He endured all things, even death on the cross. That is true love, that Jesus Christ would lay down His life for you, so that in His death and resurrection, together you would have the promise of eternal life together and indeed Hope and Ryan that is an enduring love. Amen.

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Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity - September 20, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (September 20, 2009)

“An Empty Jar?”

Readings:
Psalm 146
1 Kings 17:8-16
Galatians 5:25 – 6:10
Matthew 6:24 - 34

Sermon Form Deductive

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Old Testament Lesson from the 17th chapter of 1st Kings, especially the following verses:

1 Kings 17:8-16

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” 12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” 13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.’ ”15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Elijah said to the widow, “Do not be afraid.”(v. 13) It is not ironic that these are the very same words used by saints and angels throughout Holy Scripture when the Word of God is spoken to His people. And then follows God’s assurance, that is, what God provides is an unending source of His love and grace for all those who would believe. It was true for the widow there in Zarephath of Sidon it is true for us here today, it is true because our Lord God has told us so, that, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only Son of God.”(John 3:18) Sadly the things of this world trip, challenge, and entice us into questioning our belief that God will always provide for us. And this widow of Zarephath was no different than us, she had lost her husband, she obviously had no family nor friends to help support her, her food had run out, but for a jar of flour and oil. This woman was preparing herself and her son for their last meal, for she knew that soon all would be gone and she would be left with,

“AN EMPTY JAR”

Our Father, who is in heaven, spoke to Elijah and told him that He had, “commanded a widow in that place to supply [Elijah] with food.”(v. 8) This meant that God had prepared and made ready this widow to trust the Lord’s promise spoken by Elijah, that the vessel of flour and the jar of oil, her last remaining physical possessions on earth, would never become empty so long as the drought should last. And as He had promised, and by the power of His Word, God fulfilled that promise, day after day. But even though she was worthy and well prepared, the widow succumbs to that which is around her. The widow falls victim to what she sees, a world without her spouse, a jar that may be more than half full today, yet at the end of the day it will be most certainly be completely empty. This is the way she see her life, for she knows at the end of the day she has no further resources to feed herself or her son. For her it is eat, drink, and be dreary, for today you will die.

We can’t blame this woman for her words, “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”(v. 12) We can’t blame this widow for if we were in the same situation, most likely we too would fall to the same circumstances inflicted by the devil, the world, and the sinful nature of all human beings. For we too, each and every one of us, have fallen into the sin of doubt and despair as a result of anguish, which blurs our vision, and causes us to loose sight of the miracle of our Lord’s grace.

It would be very easy to see this world as an empty jar, to wonder where all God’s grace has gone, to wonder how we will make it through the day, nevertheless think about all the days to come. It seems that life is full of circumstances which cause our bodies, our jars of clay, to be shattered into pieces. The things that we once thought were stable in our lives seem to be all but gone. Half of Marriages end in divorce, and that fact is true whether you are a Christian on non-Christian. Our world would have marriage itself would be re-defined to meet the needs of society rather than stem from God’s clear teaching. The world is at war with itself, nations strive against nation, people against people, and the weaponry which we has been developed causes our minds to consider the enormous magnitude of the mass annihilation which could occur should these weapons be unleashed. People are angry for what the government doesn’t do, while at the same time people are angry for what the government does do. Family schedules are filled to the brim with activities, events, sports, school, and so many other distractions so vast that the idea of a family sitting down together for a meal together is all but a lost memory to us. To our minds the world and all that is seems to have become a ruthless and relentless train of events yet sadly we hop aboard, show our ticket and gladly get punched, or rather should I say we punch ourselves. And when it seems we are down the most, something comes up to empty us further.

We can relate to that widow that Elijah spoke to. Although we may not be preparing to eat our last meal, sin, devil, and this world still makes demands upon us, it empties our minds, our resources, until we can no longer bear the burden. Sadly we are not only tripped by sin, we gladly skip to it as well. But if I were to say to you now, that you should strive to be like that widow, and pick yourself up in the face of death, I too would be piling on with words of the Law. Meaning, if I said you must do better, you must have more faith, you should, and you could, I too would be adding a burden upon you so that you would fear whence your next meal may come from.

Therefore we must repent. For it does not bring us any closer to God, if we try to be like the widow to whom Elijah spoke. Quite frankly, before God our jars are as empty as hers, and just like her we do face a certain death by starvation. Yes satan would starve our faith, and cause us to look at all that we face and cause us to fall to the ground writhing in our own self pity. Because whether we trust in that widow, or in ourselves we ultimately place all our trust in what we do. We set ourselves up for failure, for the acts of humans do not gain us the Kingdom of heaven.

Repent. God will and has given you more than your daily bread, more than what you would ask for, he has caused your jars of clay, your bodies and souls to be filled to over flowing. Do not worry about today, for today He has forgiven your sins. Do not worry about what will happen for your tomorrow, for God has always had a plan for your tomorrow. And do not worry about what is beyond tomorrow, this week, this month, or this year, for God has always had a plan for your tomorrows and beyond. The widow returned to Elijah and her jar was never found empty. God gives you much more than that, for He has emptied His Son upon the cross, and He fills you with His grace which will never end. The Lord spoke to the widow through the prophet Elijah, but now in these last days God has spoken to you through His Son Jesus Christ. And so God brings for you His heavenly food, which will never ever run dry and never run out, and you will enjoy His food and drink at His heavenly banquet feast forever and ever. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

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Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity - September 13, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (September 13, 2009)

“JESUS HAVE MERCY”

Readings:
Psalm 119:9-16
Proverbs 4:10-23
Galatians 5:16-24
Luke 17:11-19

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

The text for today’s message is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 17th chapter of St. Luke, the following verses,

Luke 17:11-19 (ESV)

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Our Gospel reading is known as “The Cleansing of the Ten Lepers.” And as we hear of these 10 men calling out for pity, quite frankly, it’s hard for us to relate to them. There are about 350 million people in the United States, and there are about 110 cases of leprosy here. Most people have never met a person who has leprosy and only know that it is some kind of skin disease. And to be fair, these ten lepers standing at a distance from Christ probably knew less about their condition than we do, yet they did know that it had terrible consequences. Because the consequences of having leprosy meant that a total separation from society was not only necessary it was defined by ceremonial law. And, since there was no cure the effects of the disease, certain death was to follow. It’s probably a good thing that these ten lepers didn’t know that it would be nearly two thousand years before a reliable and certain cure would be found. So the bottom line for these 10 men was that they had to live out their lives according to the Law. It meant that there bound by strict rules as to how they could, or rather could not, interact with other people. They could not worship in the temple, they could not come near other people. It meant that their bodies would literally and very slowly waste away. It meant that a sure and certain death, a very lonely death would ultimately result. The ten stood at a distance from Christ with no hope for their present, and no hope for their future and so they cried out,

JESUS HAVE MERCY

Jesus heard their cries and He healed all ten. This was an overwhelming miracle, they were healed. And yet in the face of a clear and undeniable miracle only one returned to lay face down before Christ and return thanksgiving. And the story of that one person may give a clue as to his actions. This man was a Samaritan, which meant that he was doubly cursed. He was cursed because he was not clean as defined by the ceremonial law in Leviticus. But even more than that he was not a Jew so he couldn’t be clean even if he wanted to. Quite frankly he was stuck between a rock and a damned place, stuck with no hope for today and no cure for tomorrow.

It has been said that, “The leper who returned to Jesus giving glory to God shows us a picture of how every Christian should be grateful to Christ in devout humility. Falling down before the feet of the Lord, he truly gives thanks to God. He is aware of how weak he is in himself. He who attributes no virtue to himself. And he confesses that the good he does is due to the mercy of his Creator. In this way, he shows us that we should attribute all we receive to Christ Jesus who gives us all things.” (St. Bede)

This week I heard of an amazing story of mother in our community who, only a short time ago, gave up the custody of her two children, both less than three years old. We all know that these types of situations take time to build to a conclusion, court cases, warnings, interventions all with the intent of keeping families together. In this case this very young mother was addicted to heroin which has made significant inroads in this community. Due to her addiction she was ultimately unable and quite frankly unwilling to be a caring mother in any way. She ended up giving up her parental rights and to be more truthful the children were taken from her. This drug heroin has a very powerful affect on people, rarely are people freed from its hideous grasp upon first attempts to quit. But this mother received help from our community. She was freed from the drug and stayed that way for a full year and upon the conclusion of that year she re-gained custody of her children. She then said that without outside help, she did not want to be a mother, she did not want to quit, she did not see, nor want, a way out of her addiction. But that day when she was again given custody, she said she felt like she was redeemed, not by her own actions, but by the actions of everyone who had helped her to be who she should be.

Many of us would be quick to say that we have never been addicted to a drug like heroin. Nor likewise have we ever seen or even heard of a person being sick from the disease of leprosy. That we have never felt the never ending despair of being so out of control, that we would consider it a bonus to give up our children or family members. That we have been so stricken by something in this world that we have been ripped from society, and shoved away in a place by ourselves. Or even worse yet that we have stripped ourselves away from society because we could not face all that it has to offer. We deny that there is anything that has ever faced us or brought us so low that we haven’t been able to reach down and grab our bootstraps and pull ourselves up out of that hole. But if we say all those things we are not being truthful.

Whether it be the sin of Adam and Eve which we inherit, or all the sin by which we fall each and every day it is still there with us. We feel it, we live it, we die from it. Our bodies are once strong, and then sickness, pain, and disease causes us to be weak. Our weakness causes our faith to be tested and challenged. And when our faith is tested, it is then that the devil has more than a foot into the door of our lives. Our minds are lured into sin when we talk about others in less than glowing terms. And sin is manifested in us when we are distracted by the things of this world, which tell us we must have whatever it is, at any cost even if it is at the expense of others.

Most of us will never be afflicted by leprosy, nor addicted to heroin, but we still face a certain death as a result of the, “things which we have done, and the things which we have left undone.” And sin will one day cause a final separation. For those who fall to sin and do not repent from it, they will be separated and cast away into eternal torment. But, “Christians are pilgrims through this world on their way to heaven. The devil, like a highway robber, assaults [us], and [we] go down before him because of [our] weakness, not because [we] meant to go down.”(Walther L&G, p. 320) Instead the Christian stands away from the crowd of hypocrites, recognizes their sin and cries out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”(v. 13) We pray to God in fervent prayer and we conclude those prayers by saying, “Lord have mercy.”

The one leper knew nothing within himself could bring the healing which he needed. But Christ gives us our faith which heals us who are the needful. In baptism all your sins were washed away, the disease of sin, was cured. Christ physically touched you and made you well. In the Sacrament of the Holy Supper of our Lord, Jesus’ true body and blood touches your lips, forgives you your sins and we respond by saying AMEN You Christ have done this for us. By Jesus’ death on the cross and glorious resurrection we are given the forgiveness of sins. We are given a faith which does not dwell in our bodies, our actions or our minds, we are given a faith which comes from the very Son of God. For no matter what you face, no matter what you have done, no matter what sins you have committed, whether by action or in action, for all you who believe in Christ Jesus, He brings you from a sure and certain death, to the ecstasy of eternal life. And that s an overwhelming miracle for you. That is His promise to you, for by His actions Jesus brings you from this world into His heavenly kingdom and there you shall go for He has conquered sin, death and the devil and that makes you eternally well. Amen.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

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Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity - September 6, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (Sepember 6, 2009)

“Life and death”

Readings:
Psalm 32
2 Chronicles 28:8-15
Galatians 3:15-22
Luke 10:23-37

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

The text for today’s message is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 10th chapter of St. Luke, the following verses,

Luke 10:23-37 (NIV)

23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Our Gospel reading is known as “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.” Everyone knows this one, even people who have never read the Bible are probably familiar with it. It is so well known that even the words “Good Samaritan” have made their way into our vocabulary. When someone stops to help a traveler with a broken down vehicle, the person stopping is called a “Good Samaritan.” And all those people who went by and didn’t bother to stop, well there are many more names for them because we don’t hesitate to call them every name in the book. We all very much want to be like the Good Samaritans who stops and help us, but when it’s our turn we don’t always want to stop. In fact just like the Priest and the Levite more likely than not, we make our way to the other side of the road so that we can pass on by. Jesus first told this parable to an expert in the Law, who asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”(v. 25) Even though the question was wrong, we can be glad the question was asked, because truthfully it is a matter of ...

LIFE AND DEATH

In our Gospel lesson Jesus knew the intent of these questions by the so called expert in the Law. Jesus knew the lawyer wasn’t really asking any of his questions for any of the right reasons. Because the lawyer after engaging in a discussion, the real reason for him asking all those questions soon became apparent.

In fact, the first question asked by the lawyer is very telling, he asked, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”(v.25) Usually there are only two reasons to ask a question, either you know the answer and want everybody to know how smart you are, or you don’t know the answer and really want to learn. Well the Lawyer knew all the Law as written in Leviticus, which is the book of the Law. He knew the list of what to do, what not to do, “Do not lie, do not deceive one another, do not swear falsely, do not defraud your neighbor, do not pervert justice”(Lev 19:9-18)

So why did the lawyer ask the question in the first place, if he already knew the answer? The text gives us the answer, “He wanted to justify himself.”(v. 29) So Jesus told him a parable which spoke of life and death. It was a parable which talked about a half-dead man. Ironic, quite frankly, for the man that Jesus was telling this to thought he was alive by his own actions and would live because of his own actions. Truth be told the lawyer listening to the parable was worse off than the man on the side of the road, because the lawyer was, “dead in his transgressions.”(Eph 2:5)

And greater still is how we today hear the parable with our own confident smugness. Oh yes, we say, I would have helped that poor unfortunate man. We look at our lives and only think of the good that we have done. Yet somehow we forget all the words which we have spoken in anger, and the lack of charity we have toward our fellow man. We peek out of the side of our eyes at someone else and think of what a hypocrite they are. We forget the angry slip of the tongue, the Sunday morning golf outing. And just like the lawyer, at the end of the day we believe our charity outweighs our sin, we justify our actions, and expect that we live a good life because of all that we have done.

But the real question remains, “What must we do to inherit eternal life?” Repent. Know that there is nothing we can do, there is no list which we can complete which will give us justification for all eternity. For it is a miracle that only one man lived a perfect life on this earth and He lived it so that you too may live with Him. By our actions we stand before God condemned. By God’s grace He has given us His Son. Jesus willingly crossed over a tumutuous road to save our bodies from certain death Christ’s road to His death on the cross won for us all that is needed to justify us. Christ gives us an eternal inheritance which we in know way deserve. There is nothing we have done, there is nothing we are doing, there is nothing we will ever do to justify ourselves, because Christ has already done all that needs to be done, and He freely gives you the inheritance of eternal life.

By our own efforts and the life we live, and by all our sins, we take our place next to the priest, the levite, and the lawyer in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The lawyer implied that maybe not everyone was his neighbor. And yes we do stand there right next to the lawyer because we too want to pick and choose our neighbors, liking some and hating others, but in no case do we love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.

We thank and praise God that he has been merciful to us. That He loved us so much, He gave us His one and only son, Jesus Christ. In Holy baptism, by the water combined with God’s Word we are freed from the condemnation of the Law, the guilt and power of sin, and the power of the devil and death. By the faith, which we are given through the work of the Holy Spirit we are bound to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. Like the Good Samaritan we are called to show mercy to the needy and miserable, no matter who they may be. Because Christ first did this same thing for us, He loved us the needy and the miserable. By His actions, Jesus Christ loved us so much that He gave His life to conquer death, and in so doing Jesus gives us the assurance that we will inherit eternal life. Amen.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
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