Reformation Sunday (Observed) - October 25, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
Reformation Sunday (Observed)
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 25, 2009)

"The Seal and the Door"

Readings:
Psalm 46
Revelation 14:1-6
Romans 3:19-28
Matthew 11:12-19

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 Gospel Lesson from the 11th chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verses:

Matthew 11:12-19 (ESV)

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. [Jesus said]13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, 17 “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

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

Today we note the 492th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. A new banner dedicated to God hangs above us here in the sanctuary. Many of you know that the seal prominently displayed on the banner is called a Luther rose. And I’m sure at some point you’ve been taught what that rose means. But for those who have not heard what it means I will let the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, of blessed memory tell you himself what it means, “Grace and peace from the Lord. As you desire to know whether my painted seal, which you sent to me, has hit the mark, I shall answer most amiably and tell you my original thoughts and reason about why my seal is a symbol of my theology. The first should be a black cross in a heart, which retains its natural color, so that I myself would be reminded that faith in the Crucified saves us. "For one who believes from the heart will be justified" (Rom. 10:10). Although it is indeed a black cross, which mortifies and which should also cause pain, it leaves the heart in its natural color. It does not corrupt nature, that is, it does not kill but keeps alive. "The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17) but by faith in the crucified. Such a heart should stand in the middle of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace. In other words, it places the believer into a white, joyous rose, for this faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives (John 14:27). That is why the rose should be white and not red, for white is the color of the spirits and the angels (cf. Matt. 28:3; John 20:12). Such a rose should stand in a sky-blue field, symbolizing that such joy in spirit and faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy, which begins already, but is grasped in hope, not yet revealed. And around this field is a golden ring, symbolizing that such blessedness in Heaven lasts forever and has no end. Such blessedness is exquisite, beyond all joy and goods, just as gold is the most valuable, most precious and best metal. This is my compendium theologiae [summary of theology]. I have wanted to show it to you in good friendship, hoping for your appreciation. May Christ, our beloved Lord, be with your spirit until the life hereafter.”

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 500 years since Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, an ordained priest of the Roman Catholic church, challenged the powers of the known world by tacking those 95 thesis to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. There he questioned the authority of the Holy Roman Catholic church and King Charles Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. And to this machine of churchly and governmental authority Luther’s challenge was met with words similar to that which Christ spoke in our Gospel lesson, “He is a demon.”(v. 18)

When Luther was confronted by excommunication which by nature included threat of death, Luther stated, "Unless I shall be convinced by the testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear reason ... I neither can nor will make any retraction, since it is neither safe nor honorable to act against conscience." He also famously is said to have added: "Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen." ("Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.") Against all odds, Luther stood on the Word of God and not the word of men. On this day of remembering the Reformation it is all too easy to think of Luther, and to quote Him or to insult and belittle those who opposed him. But if he were here today, that would not be Luther’s point. Rather Luther would point to Christ just as he did in that seal.

Jesus said to the crowd gathered around Him, “12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. ”(v.12) John the Baptist preached, prayed, and pointed to Christ. And for this proclamation John met extreme violence, for his head was removed and placed on a plater at the birthday bidding of Herod’s niece. Herod like the crowd either did not believe the prophecy of John or he chose to ignore it.

And Jesus paints the people around Him in the same light, like children who want to call the tunes and feel snubbed when their partners do not want to dance with them. But we humans are quite fickle, aren’t we? We do not want to hear about Moses and the Ten commandments. We don’t want to hear about the destruction of all of God’s people who failed to listen to the prophets. We do not want to hear John the Baptist say to us, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”(Mt. 3:2) That’s Law and it’s all to stern, isn’t it? Can’t we just have the Word of God and the Gospel the way we want to hear it, without so much pain, suffering, and violence?

Well, truthfully, if that is what we proclaimed, all Gospel and no Law, then we would be changing God’s Word in scripture to meet our needs, and we see that happen throughout scripture. From Adam and Eve, to the church in Luther’ time, man has been quite consistent in turning from the whole of God’s Word and wanting only to hear the portions we want to hear. And quite frankly the first desires in Garden did bring about suffering and the violence of death. In this world we know of violence we suffer from it for we live in a fallen world and we feel the results which are pain, suffering, and ultimately we too shall one day die.

But lest we be depressed, by all that we face, hear again what Christ said, “The kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.”(v. 12) Jesus Christ suffered the ultimate violence for us as He died on the cross. His suffering and death overcomes our all our pain, all our suffering, all hate and angst that we face in this world.

Today we celebrate the Reformation not out of party spirit nor because we hate Catholicism or because we enjoy bashing the pope. We celebrate the Reformation in a spirit of grateful humility that God still allows His good news of forgiveness to be preached to us, and we ask that He would preserve His Church on earth for the sake of Christ, so that many more might hear the pure doctrine that God forgives sinners all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and all that is a free gift, no strings attached.

So today, in remembering the Reformation we are reminded that we do not find salvation in the promises or works of men, or traditions, or feelings. We do not find the promise of salvation in the scribbled words written on a piece of paper tacked to a church door by a man named Martin Luther. We honor Luther for standing up against incredible forces and we stand here today to confess that our salvation is revealed in Jesus Christ nailed to a cross. Salvation is promised by Christ, and confirmed in your Baptism, there you died to sin and now live to Christ. Today in the Holy Sacrament of our Lord, Jesus Christ pours Himself out for you in His body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God to whom all Holy Scripture points. Today, we fondly recall the beauty and details of Luther’s seal placed on a banner and the memory of that door to the Castle Church in Wittenberg. But even greater still, for all eternity we will recall the Gospel Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. For Jesus Christ is for you the seal of your salvation and He alone is for you the one and only door to eternal life. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity - October 18, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 18, 2009)

“Rise and Walk”

Readings:
Psalm 84
Genesis 28:10-17
Ephesians 4:22-28
Matthew 9:1-8

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 Gospel Lesson from the 9th chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verse:

Matthew 9:1-8 (ESV)

1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

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

Our Gospel lesson tells us that Jesus was, “getting into a boat and He crossed over and came to His own city.”(v. 1) There Jesus went to speak to a gathered crowd. St. Mark and St. Luke tell us that not only was this man was brought forth on a mat to see Jesus, the disabled man was lowered through the roof. By all accounts the man did not come to see Jesus under his own power, his friends brought him into the presence of Jesus Christ. And then the paralytic received something that he probably wasn’t looking for, because when those four people brought the paralyzed man to Jesus, Jesus did the unexpected. Jesus saw the faith of the men who carried the sick man and then Jesus spoke the words of forgiveness for the sins of the one stricken by paralysis.

Now, if you think about it, we aren’t really told all that much about the paralytic. But, we are told quite a few things about this miracle in eight short verses. We know the paralytic man rode a mat into that place of gathering. We know from the parallel accounts of St. Mark and St. Luke that his friends dug a hole in the roof to lower him closer to Jesus. We know at the end of the reading the paralytic is healed, and that he picks up his mat and goes home. We are told how the scribes reacted, that they thought the words of forgiveness were blasphemy. We are told how the crowd reacted to the miracle, “they were afraid, and they glorified God.” (v. 8) So, if you think about it, it’s really quite a mixed bag of people in that crowd, the faithful and the fearful, the indignant and the jubilant. And let us not forget that one who we think is the center of the reading ends up having no speaking part whatsoever.

Yet the person whom we would focus upon, the paralytic, is not the center of the reading. In fact, the paralytic receives God’s forgiveness through the direct Words of Jesus Christ. The paralytic is the recipient of God’s healing power as Jesus speaks directly to him and commands the paralytic to be healed. And by Jesus’ Word and command the healing is immediately accomplished.

Yet we still focus on the healed man rather than the healer. We ask to ourselves, “What is up with that sick man? Was he so stunned, or so rude, that he was able to healed from a horrible affliction, then pick up his mat and go home without ever thinking about saying anything to Jesus Christ?” Scripture doesn’t record a response, whether verbal or otherwise, so we are left to wonder how, or if it could be possible, that no simple thanks are offered in exchange for such a life changing event.

Life changing events happen to us all. I suppose many of us could relate to the healed man in scripture. Maybe we should give the poor man a break. Maybe he was just so stunned that he forgot to return thanks. One might argue it happened before, as we remember the 10 lepers whom Jesus healed? Remember only, ”15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.”

Maybe there is more to that paralytic man than meets our eyes. It has been said that, “The outward cure of the paralytic was both the image and the proof of the cure of his soul, which previously had been in a state of moral paralysis; but he himself represented another sufferer, i.e., the human race, which for ages had been a victim to the [paralysis] palsy of sin.” (Dom Prosper Gueranger, “The Liturgical Year” 11:405). Could it be that you and I are that man, whose morality is frozen and immobile? Could it be that you and I are the ones morally paralyzed unable to move ourselves away from the sin, distractions, evil that beguile us in this world? Maybe, just maybe it is truly us who are we are stuck immobile on that mat, woven by the strips of own sin, doubt, and worry? What if we were to contemplate, just for a moment that we are the ones who are paralyzed, unable to move by thoughts words or deeds, by what we have attempted to do and by what we have not attempted to do. Yes, so paralyzed that we are not only carried away by the actions, thoughts, words, and deeds of the all the other people in this world, but we are also so paralyzed that we can’t admit that we sin too? Will we admit that we are paralyzed just as much as that man on the mat?

We say, “Why no we’re not that man, we believe.” To that Martin Luther says to us, “We who have the Word at times do not believe and trust as firmly as those who do not have the Word. This is the devil’s doing, the result of original sin which causes us to be drawn away from the Word and the truth, toward believing the lie rather. In short it is the devil’s fraud and our flesh’s deception because our natures are so corrupted by original sin. When the Word is absent, we have faith galore; but when we have the Word, it is only with great difficulty that we ward off unbelief. That’s because our flesh and our reason want to have nothing to do with the Word; they are willing to believe only what they want to believe.”

Repent, for we are indeed that paralyzed man. In fact, we play the role of every character in this reading save one. We are that mixed bag of people in that crowd, the faithful and the fearful, the indignant and the jubilant, we are all of that curled up and laying upon the mat of our sinful lives. Oh were it to be easy to pick ourselves up off that mat. In the Old Testament lesson today, Jacob had a dream of a ladder into heaven, upon which the angels of God ascended and descended. But those were angels sent by God, not humans working their way up to heaven rung by rung. The poor unfortunate paralytic did not have that easy way to gain access to God in Christ Jesus. Neither do we.

But rejoice, for there is still one left in this reading, whose part we do not play. It is Jesus Christ who “came to take upon Himself our infirmities, and confer on us His grace;” Jesus Christ came, “to seek what is human, to give what is [us] the divine; to receive injuries, and return them with honors; to suffer affliction, and bring healing to others. For the physician who does not suffer infirmities knows not how to cure infirmities. And he who is not weak with the weak cannot bring health to the weak.” Had Christ remained with God in heaven, He “would have had nothing in common with [us] men. And unless He conformed to the way of life of our body, His taking upon the [flesh] would [also] have been in vain. He therefore shared our necessities, that by these human needs He might be proved a true man and offer us divine mercy and help." (St Peter Chrysologus)

Jesus Christ, true man and true God takes upon Himself all your infirmities, your sickness, your worries, your doubt, and all your sin. Jesus Christ took all that from you and took it to the cross with Him where He granted to all who would believe the promise of eternal life. We were born laying paralyzed before God, in your baptism the Water combined with God’s Word, lifted you up and made you well. In the crucifixion Christ gave His body and shed His blood which are poured out for you as a drink offering. In Holy Communion you eat His true body, you drink His true blood and Christ the Word speaks to you, He says, “your sins are forgiven.”(v. 5) Jesus heals our paralysis. Jesus has come unto you, Jesus will come again to you. One day when you close your eyes to this sin sick world, you will see Jesus. Jesus Christ will come to you and say to you, “Rise, pick up your bed,”(v. 6) you are now home, “Rise and walk”(v. 5) and you will join Him and a heavenly crowd glorifying God forever and ever more.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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The Rite of Holy Matrimony - Patrick and Dana Boks

The Church Season of Pentecost
The Rite of Holy Matrimony
Patrick Boks – Dana Ouderkirk
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 17, 2009)

“A Profound Mystery”

Readings: John 15:9-17

Sermon Form Deductive

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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.

Patrick, and Dana, 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 both. Up until this day you two were a couple. Now, here in the sight of God, the two of you become one. And the very Word of God, as given to us by St. Paul tells us, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”(v. 31) Then St. Paul goes on to say, “This is a profound mystery.”(v.32) And that probably would be an understatement for those gathered here today. Because for at least two of the parents here the planning and location of this wedding was a great mystery for most of this past summer. But there is no more mystery, today you stand together in love, together with your families, and now together with God.

Rejoice, Patrick and Dana, for it is no mystery that today, and even since the day you were born, God has had a plan for you both. God’s love has brought the two of you together and today that is abundantly apparent. It is no mystery that your all your friends and family reflect a loving care for you, because they are all here today to witness your special day. And really this special day will last you more than just today, it will last a lifetime and fact forever in Christ.

You met each other and time has passed and you have grown together. It is no mystery that the two of you this day will become one, and that promise will be sealed by your vows and in the sight of God. And that seal of God’s promise you received in the waters of your Baptisms. Whether that baptism was many years ago, or just a few days ago, you were made as one in Jesus Christ. In Baptism you were both claimed by God and made part of His Holy family. There, in the waters of your Baptism God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, gave you both the promise to be together with Him for all eternity.

Yet God is before and beyond all eternity and that indeed is a mystery to us. It can also be a mystery that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to undo all the sin of this world. For Jesus came into this world as an infant, just as both of you did, and it was here that He grew and became a man. And just like you both, Jesus Christ was baptized. And because of Jesus Christ’s life included His journey to the cross...sin, death, and the devil have been conquered. And we know that it is true for scripture tells us so. So it may be a mystery to us why Jesus would come here for us. But God gives us the answer to that question too, by saying, “8 God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”(Rom. 5:8)

God loves you both so much that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for you. He gives you that gift freely to you both, just as He would give that to all who live and breath in this world. One man, Jesus Christ died for many, so that they may never die, but rather see eternal life. In the coming days, months, and years, there may be challenges to your marriage, there will be good days and bad, there will be sickness and health. But also know that from time eternal God has brought you to this place, His Holy house. God in Jesus Christ is always with you and to serve you in all times. It is no mystery that God brought you both together and the two of you have become one. So in reality there is no mystery only the profound. And the profound is that God brought Jesus Christ into this world for you, so that together in Christ you may have eternal life. Amen.

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Eighteenth Sunday After Trinity - October 11, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 11, 2009)

“Answered Questions”

Readings:
Psalm 34:8-22
Deuteronomy 10:12-21
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Matthew 22:34-46

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 Gospel Lesson from the 22nd chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verse(s):

Matthew 22:34-46 (ESV)

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? 45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

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

The Sadducees had failed with their attempts at tricking Jesus, now the Pharisees step up to the plate to try to snare Jesus. But as we heard in the reading of the Gospel lesson they two fail. We like that. We like that the Sadducees trip, we like that the Pharisees ultimately stumble. We like to see the bad guy get his due, to see them knocked down on their can where they belong. In fact, I think if the truth be told we really kind of love to hate the Pharisees and the Sadducees. We like to treat their utterances like bowling pins, we grab onto them and set them up just to get the pleasure of knocking them down. And they make it so easy, saying things which are contrary and not very well thought out, like when their questions are answered with questions that even they, the self proclaimed high and mighty can’t answer. Everybody likes it when they are silenced because everybody likes it when the bullies of the world are left speechless. And the best part of all is that they never seem to learn, so week after week we can hear them talk, we can build them up, and then we get the pleasure of knocking them down again.

The Pharisees were indeed experts on God’s Law. They’ve probably forgotten more Scripture than you and I will ever remember. Yet they could not rightly divide God’s Law from God’s Gospel. Worse yet, they refused to acknowledge the fulfillment of God’s prophecies standing before their eyes. The heavenly Father sends His only-begotten Son into their midst to teach them repentance toward the forgiveness of sins and instead of receiving Him with great joy, their hearts were hardened and their eyes refused to see the Word made flesh. The Pharisees thought they knew how to love their God and their neighbor. Unfortunately for them their god and neighbor happened to the same person they saw when they looked in the mirror.

But we all excel in loving ourselves. We bristle when we hear the Lord God speaking through Moses: “what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandment of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good.” (Dt. 10:12-13) Sure, we might nod our heads and think we do just as God commands. But Saint James reminds us, “ 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”(James 1:22-25)

When we look long and hard into the mirror of the Law we see that it is good and wise, and that we are not. Our love has grown cold our love of God is lip service. There are weeks when we walk into church, make an effort to sing the hymns and the liturgy, listen to the sermon, receive Holy Communion, and walk out of church with no idea of what was said and done in that hour. To love of neighbor is almost impossible when we make it a priority to first love ourselves. We are raised to be self-sufficient. Yet we often turn self-sufficiency into a dictatorship of one. We think what pleases me must please God. When we hear Moses tell the Israelites “love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt,” (Dt. 10:19) we wonder who is that person who is qualified to be a stranger to us. Sounds just like that certain lawyer wondered aloud to Jesus who was his neighbor before Jesus set him straight with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Perhaps the greater sin of the Pharisees is more than not loving God and their neighbors. Perhaps it is the refusal to recognize Jesus as both King David’s son and King David’s Lord. When we, by our thoughts, words, and actions, refuse to love God and our neighbor, we refuse to recognize Jesus as both David’s son and David’s Lord. We cannot answer Jesus’ question put to the Pharisees. If Jesus isn’t God and man, divine and human, then He is either merely a man whose example should be followed in order to earn eternal life, or He is the God Who sets the bar of life so high through His doctrine and life that we could never jump over it to join Him in heaven and all that effort is just too much work.

We are the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and we are that one lawyer who try to trick our way into heaven. We outwardly treat our neighbors kindly, but speak about them with daggers on our tongues when they turn their back to us. We appear kind and godly hoping that this slight of neighbor is as effective as the slight of hand. Yet even with our best attempts at going astray, God is faithful to us. He wants to bring us back into his fold. We are treated just like those people who were gathered around Jesus. They did not put their best thoughts forward, yet Jesus did not call them out. Instead Jesus took the time to teach, so that they could see scripture and God’s Word as He meant it to be.

And God meant that Law to be in place to reflect our sin, and to guide us. Yet at the same time we are to realize that we will fall short and when we do God’s all sufficient grace is their to pick us up, and convey His grace to us. You were given that promise in the water combined with God’s Word in your Baptism. There in the baptismal font the Lord said to your Lord, God said to His Son, that this is where He will clothe you with His salvation. And today as you come to Holy Communion and partake of Christ’s true body and His true blood, that promise is made, so that you may know that your faith is renewed and refreshed, because God through Jesus Christ has granted you forgiveness of sins. And even though you may live here in time in a world which asks questions, and demands answers which we do not understand....even though your mind and body may be attacked from the outside and from the inside...Christ is still their for you. Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, and He will assure that when your final hour comes that their will be no more questions you will want or need to ask. In fact, from the very minute in the day that you leave this world all your questions will be answered, for you will be with your Lord forevermore. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity - October 4, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 4, 2009)

“Humilty”

Readings:
Psalm 2
Proverbs 25:6-14
Ephesians 4:1-6
Luke 14:1-11

Sermon Form Deductive

+INI+

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 14th chapter of St. Luke, especially the following verse:

Luke 14:1-11 (NIV)

1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. 5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they had nothing to say. 7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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

Jesus joins a gathering as a guest and it is He who is being carefully watched by the host who is a Pharisee, and other guests the experts in the Law all waiting to see if they could catch Jesus being ill-mannered regarding the Law of the Sabbath. In front of Jesus was man who was physically ill, “suffering from dropsy.”(v. 2) a condition we would probably call today congestive heart failure. The sick man had a sick heart. The Pharisees and Lawyers had sick hearts too, today we would probably call their condition, religious hypocrites. Meaning the Pharisees appeared outwardly very religious, but in truth they were just as sick in their hearts as the man with dropsy.

And seeing the sick man Jesus asked, ““Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they[the Pharisees] remained silent. So taking hold of the [sick] man, [Jesus]he healed him and sent him away.”(v. 3-4) And Jesus anticipated the response, knowing it was unlawful to do much of anything on the Sabbath, unless of course they had checked in with the proper authorities to make sure that they were using the most precise technicality to skirt the rules and law. So in anticipation of their tricks and questions regarding His healing on the Sabbath, Jesus asked, “If one of you has a son or a donkey or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?”(v.5) But the Pharisees and Lawyers could care less whether their son, or anybody else made it out of the well, rather they were too busy trying to take care of their own self image. In those times you didn’t get to be called a prominent Pharisee without a little bit of hard work and a lot of chest pounding. But, whether at that point they realized it or not, in two swift sentences Jesus had humbled them. Because He had directly challenged these high and mighty technocrats of the world. Because by the healing on the Sabbath He had brought them low, cut them down to size. Jesus lifted up the back side of the Pharisees robes of prominence and exposed their arrogance. They didn’t want work to occur on the Sabbath because it broke their laws, even if it meant helping others. And it is certainly not wrong to help others on any day of the week.

Today we celebrate a group who helps other’s every single day of the week. Today is Lutheran Womans’s Missionary League Sunday or better known as LWML Sunday. We celebrate these servants of Christ who do so much from what would seem such small sources. For these women collect pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, in tiny little mite boxes, yet their contributions to help others and to advance the Gospel are amazing. Officially the LWML tells us that they have, "For over 65 years, focused on affirming each woman’s relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to support global missions.” The LWML has adopted in the current convention a $1.825 Billion dollar budget for the 2009-2001 biennium, monies which will be used to help ship quilts to Lutheran World Relief, and an amazing amount of those beautiful quilts came from this very congregation. The LWML is helping with the food bank at the St. Louis Seminary, refurbishing of homes in Florida, disaster aid in Oklahoma, and Louisiana, providing scholarships to Seminarians at both the St. Louis and the Fort Wayne Seminaries, Prison ministries, Braille Bibles, help in Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Dominican Republic, Peru, China, and North Korea, just to name a few. We thank God for all their efforts in the past, we thank God for all that they are doing now, we thank God for all that this organization will do in the future. This group is truly supporting the work of God here in this church, and here in this city, and here in this state, in this country, and in the world. They have not sacrificed giving in one place over another, rather they have found ways to support Gods work throughout the world. This is an organization which serves in humility.

In our Gospel lesson the Pharisees were so focused on rules and laws and pointing to their own accomplishments so much so that the could exhibit no true humility. They were so busy watching others break the rules, finding fault with others actions, condemning others lives, pointing, cajoling, and grumbling, that they could not see that in their actions they had already broken the laws they sought to keep. Their outward words and action really only reflected a cynical hypocrisy punctuated by the exclamation mark of sarcasm. Yet sadly if those Pharisees of old were able, they would point right back at us because we join them each and every day, by all that we have done and all that we have left undone, we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves, and so we are called to repent.

For there is only one who exhibits true humility, and it is He who came from heaven and “being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!”(Php 2:8) And through the cross of Christ, ‘God who knows our sin and pride’(Prvbs 3:34) yet He, still freely gives us His grace. You who “humble yourself before the Lord, He lifts you up.” In fact He has already lifted you up, for in the waters of your baptism all your pain, your worry, and your sins were set aside, you have been “raised from the dead so that you may live a new life.”(Rom. 6:4) And today you have received from Jesus Christ the forgiveness of sins, which renews, refreshes, and strengthens your faith.

In pride the Pharisees would have indeed pulled their oxen or donkey from a well even if it meant breaking their rules of the Sabbath. But God sends to you the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ and through His humbleness we who are weak of heart stand in His presence. We are called to serve our fellow man in this place and to the ends of the earth, and the LWML is a good example of that desire to serve others, because this flows from the gift of grace which God gives us through his Son. For Jesus Christ frees us from the depths of our sin. He lifts us from this world of despair and He brings us to our knees, and He blesses us with His forgiveness, and with His infinite humility He humbly blesses us, and brings us to the highest seat of honor in His father’s house. And their we will humbly exalt Him for all eternity. Amen.

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

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Funeral Sermon for Helen Marie Latoski - October 2, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
Trinity 16
Funeral Service for Helen Marie Latoski
Smith-Miner Funeral Home, Midland, MI October 2, 2009

“Comfort, Comfort My People”

Readings:
Psalm 23
Isaiah 40:31
John 14:1-4


Isaiah 40:1, 28-31

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The lord is the everlasting God the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

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Family and friends of Helen, especially Bernie, Brian, Joe, and Bonnie, Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Let us remember with thanksgiving what God has done through His servant Helen Marie Latoski who was given life by his creator and was born on November 18th, 1933, the child of Benjamin and Helen Voorhees. She received the gift of Holy Baptism and became a child of God, and later publicly confessed her faith and was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church of Midland. She often received the precious gift of the Lord’s life giving body and blood. On September 22, 1956, she received the gift of a companion Bernie, her beloved husband, and they were married for over 53 years. Helen and Bernie were blessed with the gift of a child, Brian. On September 29th, God blessed Helen with a holy death and took her home to rest in the arms of Jesus to await the resurrection of the Lord. Blessed are they who die in the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore.

The verses I just read from Isaiah, and her sister Bonnie reminded me of these words while we sat and prayed with Helen this past week. I’ll have to say that these words of scripture not only spoke directly to Helen but also to those who gathered around her and those who had thoughts and prayers for her too. “Comfort, comfort my people, says God.”(v. 1) Certainly all who knew her in these last few years knew that she was not in a great deal of comfort. At the same time Helen was given a great deal of comfort by the people who were around her. Her husband Bernie is one of the most caring loving people I have ever met. He literally cared for her day and night, I never once heard him complain, and he always seemed to wear that great big smile on his face. Helen loved her son Brian very much too, I know that because she told me so, she was very proud of you. I’m told that you would spend hours and hours chatting on the phone, what a wonderful, close and comforting relationship you were blessed to have with each other.

Yet there is greater comfort than even those which come from the things of this world for which Helen is now eternally thankful. For 54 years ago Helen was comforted by the presence of Jesus Christ in waters of her baptism. And those baptismal waters were indeed a blessed comfort. For it was God who sent His son Jesus Christ into this world. It was Christ who was baptized by John the Baptist, and it was Christ who lived and walked among us. And because Christ came into this world, was crucified, died and buried and on the third day rose again, because of Christ death and resurrection, Helen is in heaven where she will be eternally comforted by her Lord and there she will dwell with all the saints and all who have gone before her in the faith.

It was always interesting to talk with Helen, she had a mind like a steel trap. She knew names, dates, anniversaries, and birthdays. She knew about sports and I am told that she was a very good ball player too. She worked as a stenographer at Dow and was one of the most highly respected workers in that field. And Bernie told me that she loved to dance and not a day went by when Helen didn’t have her piece of chocolate. Yet at the same time over the years we can not but know that Helen was weary of her condition.

The prophet Isaiah said in that scripture we read earlier, “The lord is the everlasting God the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak”(v. 28-29). The Lord certainly gave strength to Helen though her body may have become, over the passing of years, weary.

I already miss Helen and I know you do too. The reality of death stings. In times like this, it does seem that death is like a vulture circling above our heads waiting for us to stumble and fall. The cold reality of our impending death hovers in the lofty places of our minds. Mostly forgotten, except for days like this. When we are reminded of our mortality. St. Paul reminds us, “Death is swallowed up in victory, ‘O Death where is your sting? O Death where is your victory?’ the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ”( 1 Cor 15:55ff)

Jesus gave Helen the victory of eternal life, and He takes away all the stings of this world. He gives you His victory over sin, and death, and the devil. He welcomes you to share in His victory in His words from the Holy Scripture. He welcomes you to share in His victory in the water and Word of baptism. And when you receive his true body and true blood in Holy Communion. In his death and resurrection, Jesus conquers all things, so that your sins may be forgiven.

The final words from the verses from Isaiah are, “They will soar on wings like eagles; They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Helen could not run these last few years, and as many of you know she could just barely walk. But each and every time we visited, she didn’t talk about such things. We would chit chat, laugh a bit, but really she desired to receive Holy Communion. Because Helen knew in the body and blood of Christ her faith was renewed, refreshed, and strengthened. We are sad for the loss of Helen, but on this day, she is having a joyful reunion with her Lord Jesus Christ and with all the saints of heaven.

One day your walk on this earth, this veil of tears, will come to an end. But you can rejoice, just like Helen and all those baptized into Christ. For all of Christ’s words, His death and resurrection are true comfort for our souls. And because He came to give us that comfort, there will be no more sorrow, nor crying, and there will be no more pain. Blessed are they who die in the Lord Jesus Christ from this time forth and evermore. Amen.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

AMEN
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