Sermon for Advent Midweek 2: "Saints of Advent - Nicholas" (Galatians 2:15-21)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

[Jesus and Santa]

 

Jolly old St. Nicholas, Lean your ear this way!
Don't you tell a single soul, What I'm going to say;
Christmas Eve is coming soon, Now, you dear old man,
Whisper what you'll bring to me: Tell me if you can. (Jolly Old St. Nicholas)

One of the complaints that many Christians voice at this time of the year is that Christmas has become too commercialized and too secularized.

 

When shopping or watching television, we are more likely to hear “Happy Holidays” than “Merry Christmas.”

 

Today, far too many people observe the holy day of Christ Mass without any acknowledgement of Christ at all.

 

For many, the day of Christmas is all about parties, presents, television specials and NBA basketball games – without any reference to the reason we celebrate Christmas – the incarnation of our Lord Jesus the Christ, who took on our flesh to save us.

 

Sadly, the persona of Santa Claus gets more attention than Jesus Christ.

 

Perhaps, this problem can begin to be corrected by understanding where the legend of Santa Claus comes from and who the actual St. Nicholas was.

 

Now, most of us have heard of Santa Claus referred to as St. Nick or St. Nicholas. In fact, that’s where the name comes from – Santa is another word for Saint, and Claus is a shortened form in Dutch of the name Nicholas.

 

Today, Santa Claus has become its own legend. But, St. Nicholas was a real person who lived during the third and fourth centuries. On this day, December 6th, the Christian Church celebrates Nicholas.

 

[Nicholas of Myra]

 

So, who was this St. Nicholas?

 

Nicholas was born into a wealthy family in Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. Having become a Christian, Nicholas chose not to pursue a life of riches, but he instead devoted himself to the Church. He eventually became a bishop of a city called Myra. Now, Myra was a decadent and corrupt city, and Nicholas became well-known for transforming it by his pious hard work and preaching the Word of Christ.

 

Nicholas was also known for his love for those in need, such as poor widows and orphaned children. As bishop, he saw to it that the Church worked to care for the needy. Perhaps his giving of gifts, especially to impoverished children, is part of what formed the Santa Claus tradition.

 

Now, there is also one famous story about Nicholas that stands out above the rest. There was a man in the city of Myra who had three daughters. But he did not have enough money to provide his daughters with suitable property necessary for marriage. At this time in history, it is likely that without marriage, these girls could have ended up as prostitutes.

 

Nicholas heard about this and he became deeply troubled. So, he decided to help, but help in a way where he would not draw attention to himself.

 

So, Nicholas took from his own resources and prepared three bags of gold. On three straight nights, Nicholas went to this man’s house and threw a bag of gold into an open window – one bag of gold each night for the three daughters, which provided to be enough property for marriage. Eventually, it is likely that this is the story that led to the creation of Santa Claus – instead of throwing bags through an open window; the bags were dropped down a chimney.

 

Nicholas believed he was justified – made right with God – through faith in Jesus Christ. And because of what Christ has done for him, he wanted to spread Christ’s message in helping his neighbor in need. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 2: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

 

Now, there are many more accounts of Nicholas helping others. For instance, once there were three men who were falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to death and Nicholas worked to secure their freedom. It is also told that Nicholas helped three sailors from drowning.

 

Nicholas lived his life as a man who wanted to help his neighbor, because of what Christ has done to justify him.

 

In helping his neighbor, Nicholas was fulfilling what Christ said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

 

It is interesting that in these stories of Nicholas, the number three keeps coming up – three daughters, three falsely accused men, three sailors.

 

Nicholas was also a staunch defender of the three-in-one – the Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which he proclaimed.

 

In fact, St. Nicholas was one of the bishops present at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, which was met to combat heresy or false teachings that were leading people away from Jesus. This council also met to confirm an essential truth about the Trinity – that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. It was from this council that we received the Nicene Creed, which the entire Christian Church accepted as a true witness of God’s Word.

 

You see, Nicholas was a defender of the true Christian faith – the faith that proclaims that Jesus Christ is the only Savior from sin, death and the devil.

 

Nicholas preached Jesus crucified and risen, baptized people into the one true faith, absolved people of their sins in Jesus’ name, and fed them with the life-giving body and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

 

This is the real St. Nicholas. He wasn’t taking attention away from Jesus. He was a preacher drawing everyone’s attention to Jesus; for he knew that his people were both saints and sinners and in desperate need of Christ’s forgiveness and mercy.

 

[Jesus – the True Gift]

 

We give attention to the generosity of Nicholas because it was the love of Jesus Christ that was working through him in his life.

 

That love of Christ that was at work in Nicholas is at work also in you. For in your Baptism you were “crucified with Christ, and you no longer live, but Christ lives in you and through you.”

 

The Lord is working in you so that his boundless love, which has been shown to you, might spill over to others in the giving of yourself and in the giving of gifts – not that you can feel good about yourself or draw attention to yourself, but giving that is anonymous and entirely for the good of others, like a bag of gold through an open window at night.

 

That’s why Christians too, when giving an anonymous gift, might refer to gifts being given by Santa Claus – St. Nicholas.

 

For such a gift is given in a spirit that reflects the love of Christ as Nicholas did, and ultimately it seeks to give glory not to ourselves, but to God, who is the true giver of every good and perfect gift.

 

Indeed, every gift that we give is a sign of that greatest gift of all, the Christ Child in the manger – given to us almost anonymously. But hidden within the wrapping of his lowly humanity dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, full of grace and mercy. Jesus is love in the flesh for you.

 

You see, there is no greater gift than knowing we are forgiven of our sins and we will live forever with Christ through faith in Him. And, we say with Nicholas and all the saints in heaven, “Amen! Come Lord Jesus! Come quickly!” as we await His Second Advent.

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

Sermon for Advent Midweek 1: "Saints of Advent - Andrew" (John 1:35-42)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

[Peter’s Shadow]

 

Some of you may have grown up in families where you were not the one who always got the attention. A brother or a sister may have done better than you in sports or in school or in music and got most of the recognition and the approval. Perhaps you were sometimes introduced as “so-and-so’s brother or sister.” You always seemed to be a little bit more in the background.

 

It is likely to have been that way for Andrew, for he was the brother of Simon Peter.

 

It appears as if Andrew lived in his brother’s shadow. Out of the dozen or so times his name occurs in Scripture, only once does it appear without Peter’s name being mentioned too. In fact, Andrew is most often referred to as “Simon Peter’s brother,” as he is in verse 40 in today’s reading from John’s gospel. 

 

Although it was Andrew who was the first to follow Jesus, it was his brother who would become the first among the apostles and to be in Jesus’ inner circle — Peter, along with James and John, also known as the “Zebedee boys” as one of my seminary professors called them. In fact, the name, Peter or Cephas, was a special name given by Jesus, meaning “a rock.” Andrew, however, would simply be one of the Twelve.

 

But, that does not mean that we should feel bad for Andrew, as if he were being treated unfairly. For he had his own special, God-given place and role as an apostle.

 

This was the way of Andrew, even as it was the way of Andrew’s first teacher and rabbi, John the Baptizer. John’s task was to prepare the way of the Lord, to point to Jesus and say, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). John’s purpose was not to gain permanent disciples for himself, but to lose his disciples to Jesus, to lead people to him who is the Christ.

 

[Andrew Points to Jesus]

 

John would say of Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

 

That is true not only for John or Andrew, but for all of us here as well, especially during this season of Advent.

 

You are to decrease, to die to yourself and your own desires, so that Jesus might come forth and be magnified in you with His abounding mercy and life. As Paul writes in Galatians 2: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”We are all made new through Christ.

 

Again, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This saying showed itself in Andrew’s life in the way he directed others — not to himself — but to Christ. He brought people to Jesus.

 

One of those many times that Andrew led people to Jesus was when he found a young boy who had five barley loaves and two fish. Andrew did not know if what he did would help, but he brought the boy and his food anyway. And from that, Jesus fed 5,000 men, plus women and children — and they believed.

 

Then in today’s lesson, we learn that it was Andrew who brought his brother Peter to Jesus.

 

You see, Andrew believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and that faith immediately led him to seek out his brother and tell him. Andrew may not have become a famous apostle, but he was the man who brought Peter to Jesus.

 

Now, all of us here this evening can be a little like Andrew. You may not be the most prominent member of First Lutheran, but you can do things to help lead people to Jesus. 

 

When you lead someone to become baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, you are being like Andrew. When you invite or give someone a ride to the Divine Service or Bible study, you are being like Andrew. 

 

For Jesus is the Word made flesh; He is living and active in the proclamation of His Word to save those who hear and believe. Just as Andrew led Peter to Jesus, you also get to welcome others to come and see where Jesus abides for us with His life-giving gifts. We decrease and Christ increases as we direct people away from ourselves to Him, the only Savior of the world.

 

[Jesus Humbled Himself for Us]

 

Fittingly, Jesus became our Savior by taking the least and the lowest place for Himself. Jesus humbled Himself to be born of a virgin. He decreased to the point of death on a cross for us, so that you might increase with the riches of His forgiveness and grace. Through Jesus — the Lamb of God, we are covered with the pure fleece of Jesus’ righteousness. Jesus who humbled Himself is now risen and is exalted to the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.

 

[St. Andrew’s Cross]

 

After Christ returned to heaven, tradition has it that Andrew became a fisher of men in Greece. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Andrew made converts of many in a town called Patras. This upset the pagans of the town and Andrew wound up in jail.

 

When the Christians heard about Andrew arrested, they became enraged and if it was not for Andrew urging the people to imitate Jesus — a riot could have broken out. 

 

Eventually, Andrew’s death was decreed and he was to be crucified on a saltire — a cross in the shape of an “X.”

 

Andrew preached Christ for two days on that cross, continuing to point people to Jesus, before his suffering finally ended and he died.

 

Today, Andrew is most known for the way he died.

 

In fact, the flag of Scotland is in the shape of the St. Andrew’s Cross.

 

The St. Andrew’s Cross is also represented on the British Union Jack flag as the “X” representing the union of Scotland within the United Kingdom.

 

In a way, Andrew’s life as a disciple came full circle. For when Andrew first met Jesus, our Lord said to him, “Come and you will see” the place where I am staying (v. 39). Now at last, Andrew again went to where the Lord was. Andrew was with Christ. For we know that Jesus will take us to be with Himself — in soul in our death and in body at the Resurrection on the Last Day.

 

Since we have this certain hope in Christ, let us learn from the example of Andrew’s humility. Let us “humble ourselves.” Amen.

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

Sermon for Pentecost 18: "Jesus Redeems the Vineyard" (Matthew 21:33-46)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Luther on Christianity]

“When people become secure, danger lies ahead. To be sure, they hear the Word but let it go into one ear and out of the other; they can talk a great deal about it, but no improvement in life and no fruits of faith follow, as we see now before our eyes.”[1]

Those are the words of Martin Luther. Even almost 500 years later, those words still ring true to this day.

Are you secure and confident in your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord? Are you improving in your faith life? Are you yielding fruits of faith?

It is so easy to be content in your life when things are going good. You may think, why should I attend the Divine Service weekly? Why should I attend a Bible study weekly? My life is perfect. But when things turn for the worse, what do you depend on? Yourself, or the true God? Now, we should depend on God when things are good and when things are bad.

Martin Luther was concerned for the salvation of everyone. He was no hypocrite. He meant what he said and said what he meant. He was never quiet when salvation was at stake.

As Christians, we should be yielding fruit of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

You see, Luther was very concerned with those people who called themselves Christians and when asked basic questions about Christianity, they were dumbfounded. They didn’t know the answer. They didn’t know the basic theme of Holy Scripture, nor did they know basic Christian doctrine:

·        They didn’t know the Ten Commandments

·        They didn’t know the Lord’s Prayer

·        They didn’t know the Creed

·        Really, they didn’t know pure doctrine from heresy.

Yet, they consider themselves to be Christian, without knowing anything. That is the case with much of American Christianity today.

Now, without knowing what the one true Christian faith believes, you cannot yield any fruit. You are a vineyard that only produces wild grapes. You are a garden that can’t produce any fruit.

Luther would respond to them likely this way: If you do not know Christian doctrine or you refuse to follow Christian doctrine, you are not a Christian.

Luther is not saying that we should be perfect Christians, which we should strive to be, but he is saying that we should at all times and all places do our best in being faithful to God.

[Parable of the Tenants]

In this morning’s gospel, Jesus continues from last week’s gospel lesson as He speaks to the Jewish chief priests and elders. Last week, we heard Jesus tell them about the Parable of the Two Sons. Today, Jesus gets even more explicit and obvious with His Parable of the Tenants.

Our Lord Jesus Christ tells the Jewish chief priests and elders that it was God who planted the vineyard, which is Israel. He tells them that it was God who has done everything for that vineyard. But, then something changed. Something went wrong.

“There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country,” Jesus said.

But this vineyard’s tenants did not see themselves as sharecroppers, but instead as the owners of the vineyard. The tenants believed they were in control of the vineyard. They did not fear, respect or acknowledge their landlord, the owner of the vineyard.

So when it was harvest season, the owner of the vineyard sent his servants to the tenants to bring back his fruit. But the tenants did not respect the servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

Instead of arriving in person in wrath for what was done, the owner shows patience and sends more servants, but to no avail as they too were beaten, stoned and killed.

Then one day, he sent his son to them to bring back his fruit and said, “They will respect my son.”

And how did the tenants react to seeing the owner’s son? They took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him in hopes of stealing his inheritance. You see, according to Jewish law, the tenants stood a good chance on inheriting the land when the owner died, if there was no heir.

So Jesus puts the ball back in the court of the chief priests and elders and asks them, “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

They respond saying that the tenants will be put to a miserable death and the vineyard will be leased out to other tenants who will give him the fruits of their seasons.

Exactly. Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”

Later the chief priests and elders realized that the parable was about them. They are the tenants of the vineyard. The stiff-necked attitudes of the Jewish leaders led to the beatings and death of the servants – God’s prophets, who instead of being listened to were beaten and murdered.

[Historical Parallels]

Now, this parable has some possible parallels in the history of the Church, as well.

As centuries went by, the Roman Church became corrupted with tradition and the papacy seen as more important than God’s inerrant Word. In fact, very few people had actually seen a Bible. At this time, every Western Christian assumed that what the pope said must be true. This parable may have some parallels to those clerics who spoke out against corruption and errors in the Roman Church.

One of those clerics was a Bohemian named John Hus. He preached the word of God in the language of his people, he tried to restore true devotion among Christians, he fearlessly attacked church corruption and he gave his parishioners both the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. For all of this, he was condemned as a heretic and later burned at the stake in July of 1415 and his ashes were flung into the Rhine River. Do his reformation ideas sound familiar? Hus’s attempted reformation may have been forgotten except for one man who came on the scene 100 years later.

You see, Luther was accused as being a follower of Hus and a heretic himself by the Roman Church.

Now, Luther’s reformation did not end the same way as Hus’s attempt at reforming the Church, as we all know. Luther was protected and had many influential friends and allies.

[Good news]

Now, returning to the Parable of the Tenants.

You may wonder in the parable, where is the good news? It sounds like Jesus is only pronouncing God’s judgments. Well, there are a lot of judgments. We have beatings, death and a vineyard taken away.

Also, for those who disbelieve, Jesus is pronouncing the judgment of facing the true wrath of God’s Law.

But, there is good news, too.

First off, this parable shows God’s love and patience. You see, He keeps on sending prophets and eventually His own Son.

On top of this, Jesus is telling the chief priests and elders what He will do. He is telling them the plan. However, all that the chief priests and elders understood was that Jesus is threatening to take away their rule over the Jewish people.

Jesus is telling them about His future death and what His death will accomplish.

Jesus said of the tenants, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.” And so they took him out of the vineyard and killed him.

This heir is Jesus and He was sent on our behalf for our salvation.

You see, Christ picks us up. What we regard as punishment actually turns out to be the first step in the healing process. God knows how to turn what’s bad into good.

Christ’s death on the cross outside the walls of Jerusalem, like the son’s outside the vineyard, appears to be a gruesome punishment, which it is. But it is the first step of God’s plan to heal mankind away from sin, death and the devil.

Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead to prove that His death destroyed the power of sin, death and the devil. Through believing in Him and His promises, we have been freely given forgiveness of sins, everlasting life and salvation by grace through faith.

You see, Jesus Christ has redeemed the vineyard – you and me – through His death on the cross and His resurrection from the tomb to Himself.

The death of God’s Son on the cross was not just a plot of men – it was the plan of God. And since the salvation Jesus procured on the cross was for all people, even the people who planned and carried out His execution are included. The inheritance of salvation is for everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus Christ.

So, believe, trust and follow Jesus for only He is our redeemer of the vineyard.

Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

---

[1] Martin Luther, “What Luther Says” (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959), 532.

Sermon for Pentecost 15: "We Forgive because Christ Forgave" (Matthew 18:21-35)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

Peter came up and said to Jesus, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

Jesus said to Peter, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-35)

Offering forgiveness to a person who has done you wrong is difficult, especially when both sides have sinned against each other. After all, our sinful self would like to respond to that person with personal pride by withholding forgiveness and holding a grudge against that person.

But, our Lord Jesus Christ says that forgiveness is to have no limits. There is no end to forgiveness.

In 1982 John Hinckley shot President Ronald Reagan. President Reagan soon underwent surgery and later recovered from his injuries, and through the entire ordeal Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis saw God at work. She wrote:

“I give endless prayers of thanks to whatever angels circled my father, because a Devastator bullet, which miraculously had not exploded, was found a quarter inch from his heart. The following day my father said he knew his physical healing was directly dependent on his ability to forgive John Hinckley. By showing me that forgiveness is the key to everything, including physical health and healing, he gave me an example of Christ-like thinking.”[1]

In 2015 Dylann Roof was welcomed into Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. While worshipping, Roof opened fire on the parishioners and he murdered nine people. Now, what happened days later at Roof’s bond hearing may have shocked some people.

“I forgive you,” said one parishioner. “You took something very precious from me. But I forgive you.”[2]

Another parishioner said, “I acknowledge that I am very angry. But, we have no room for hating, so we have to forgive. I pray God on your soul.”

[Unforgiving Servant]

In today’s gospel lesson, our Lord Jesus Christ tells His disciples a parable about how the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king and his two servants.

Now, the king wished to settle the accounts of his servants.

The first servant owed the king ten thousand talents. This debt would require a day laborer 60-million days to pay off this debt, or 164,000 years. So, needless to say, this servant has no way – other than winning today’s Powerball jackpot over and over and over again – that he could ever pay off his debt in his lifetime.

I don’t know what this servant did to get so far into debt, but he was not responsible at all.

Since he could not pay his debt, the king ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all of his possessions, so payment could be made. When the servant heard this, he fell on his knees and begged his king: “Have patience with me, I will pay you everything.” (Matthew 18:26)

Out of pity, the king forgave him of all of his debt.

As that servant left the king’s quarters, he ran into a fellow servant who owed him some money. So, what does he do? After being forgiven of his debt, the servant then demands the other servant pay him what he owes. He even chokes him to let him know that he is serious. He commands him, “Pay what you owe!” (Matthew 18:28b)

This second servant’s debt was only a hundred denarii, which is about four months of work. This is chump change compared to what the first servant owed the king. This can easily be paid off.

Like earlier, the one who owed money pleads, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” (Matthew 18:29b)

But the first servant does not show mercy to the second servant, like the king did for the first servant.

He immediately sends his fellow servant to debtors’ prison.

Now, when the king is aware at what had taken place, he is angered. The king then summoned the first servant and said to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Matthew 18:32-33)

The king then delivered him to the jailers until he could pay off his debt, which would be several lifetimes.

Jesus concludes, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:35)

Wow! How could Jesus say that? You may say, “That sounds a little harsh.”

This parable of Jesus serves as a warning and a teaching to everyone hearing it spoken. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.

Now, this parable’s teaching is nothing new for the disciples. In fact, they heard this same teaching when He taught them the Lord’s Prayer. Christ said, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” or “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

And yet, Peter is asking Jesus how often should we forgive our brother’s sin.

Sometimes, we don’t get it. We feel that there should be some limit on forgiveness.

That first servant saw it that way. But, the king did not.

[Debt Forgiveness]

Now, we often see television commercials offering debt forgiveness.

“If you owe more than $10,000, you could be forgiven of your debt,” they say.

Today, Americans owe a lot of money. In fact, our National Debt is now at $20.17 trillion, an increase of $200 billion from last week. The amount that is on each taxpayer is $167,299, an increase of $2,000 from last week. Then you add personal debt from credit cards and student loans. That is a lot of debt.

All we can do is to live within our means and cut unnecessary expenses. All we can hope is that the federal government can also do that.

In reality, the only way we can have our debt forgiven is through Jesus Christ. Now to be frank, this debt is not monetary debt, but spiritual debts – our sins against God and our neighbor.

We can only be forgiven of our debts through Christ’s death upon the cross and His rising to life on Easter Sunday.

Jesus Christ paid for the debts of the entire world, even for those who despise Him. For Christ offers salvation free for all, by grace through faith. We are free to take this grace, or turn away from it. This is our free will. We have the choice of everlasting life, or everlasting death.

As Christians – the peculiar people who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior – we forgive, because Christ first forgave us.

You see, our Triune God always takes the initiative, in Christ Jesus. The parable is told by Jesus to his disciples; he has called them, and on the strength of His Word they are already following Him. The first scene comes first. God’s forgiveness is always first and foundational. It is never earned or merited or the result of anything in us or done by us.

To forgive is to release someone else from retribution and retaliation.

This is what Christ has done for us when he forgave our sins upon the cross. This is what Christ proved to the entire world when He rose from the dead.

In settling His accounts with us, our Lord acts not with anger, but with compassion. He does not imprison us as we deserve, but He forgives all our debts and releases us (Matt. 18:23–27).

Therefore, our Lord bids each of us to have “mercy on your fellow servant” and “forgive your brother from your heart” (Matt. 18:33, 35). By the Lord’s forgiveness of our sins, we are free to forgive those who sin against us, because He has been handed over to the jailers in our stead and He has paid our entire debt with His lifeblood.

We receive Christ’s forgiveness of sins when we gather at each Sunday Divine Service to hear God’s Word proclaimed in truth. We receive Christ’s forgiveness of sins when we were baptized into the one true Christian faith and when we partake of His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.

Through Christ’s forgiveness of us, He has opened up paradise for all who believe and trust in Him.

Now, sometimes offering forgiveness can be hard. Just ask the Reagan family and the parishioners at Emanuel AME Church.

Even when we forgive, the emotions do not always go away. We may very well release that person from debt, but our emotions can take a lot longer to get on board with that choice.

But in the end, the Reagans and those parishioners forgave.

We too, are to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. By forgiving your fellow brother, sister or neighbor, you are releasing them from the debt of their sin. You are showing mercy as the king displayed in the parable.

So, “forgive our sins as we forgive,” You taught us, Lord, to pray; But You alone can grant us grace To live the words we say. Amen. (LSB 843, v. 1)

The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds steadfast in the one true faith in Christ, our Lord. Amen.

---

[1] Craig Brian Larson, 750 Engaging Illustrations, Teachers, and Writers (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007), 182.

[2] “I forgive you.” Relatives of Charleston church shootings victims address Dylann Roof, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/06/19/i-forgive-you-relatives-of-charleston-church-victims-address-dylann-roof/?utm_term=.5b6fedd6486c

Sermon for Pentecost 13: "Take Up Your Cross" (Matthew 16:21-28)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Bonhoeffer]

“In the almost thirty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”

This quote was said after the execution of a war criminal against the state.

You see, this criminal defied the state during wartime and was found guilty of treason.

So, what did he do?

He openly defied the state by organizing an illegal learning institution.

So, what was this illegal learning institution? Well, to give you some context, when the ruling political party took over the government, they absorbed the state church into being run by that political party.

Christ was no longer the cornerstone of the church; the cornerstone was now that political party.

Everything had to have approval by that political party in order to be taught. The state church was forced to follow the government’s mandates.

Because of this enforcement, this man helped to form an illegal seminary where it would teach its students a Christ-centered theology, instead of following government mandates.

Is this worth an execution? Well, there is more to this man.

He also defied the state by becoming involved in the underground movement to plot to assassinate his country’s leader. After his involvement in the underground was suspected, he was arrested and imprisoned by his country’s federal police.

Some of you may know who I am talking about. Others here today may not.

This criminal was Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Bonhoeffer organized the illegal Lutheran seminary in Nazi Germany, because his German people did not have the freedom to worship the one true God in purity.

He later became involved in the underground movement to take over Germany by assassinating Hitler and installing a new leader. For this, Bonhoeffer was arrested by the Gestapo. He later sat in a German prison for nearly two years, before facing a late-night court martial, which was immediately followed by his death by hanging.

After he died, that doctor said, “In the almost thirty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”

Even more recently, the Islamic State has rounded up Christians in north Africa and the Middle East who would not denounce their Christian faith. For that, these Christians faced torture and death.

[Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus]

So, why am I telling you this?

This has everything to do with Jesus telling his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran Christian pastor, was following Christ’s command to take up your cross and follow me. You see, he would not waver from Christ.

Those Christians murdered by the Islamic State followed Christ’s command to take up your cross and follow me. They too, would not waver from Christ.

To take up your cross and follow Jesus is a tough teaching.

To take up your cross is being willing to face death, because the cross represented death. It was common for Romans in the First Century to crucify criminals. Jesus expected His followers to be willing to die, if necessary, rather than to give up their commitment to Him.

The Apostles Peter and Paul also took up their crosses and refused to waver from Christ.

Now, Bonhoeffer knew that by speaking out against the government regime, he could face persecution and likely death. He could not stand while Christ’s Church was being destroyed. So, he decided to stand with Christ and against the state.

Now, thankfully, we live in the United States of America and not in Nazi Germany or lands ruled by the Islamic State. But, how many of us would take up our cross and follow Jesus if we ever found ourselves in a life or death situation? Would you denounce your Christian faith if you were told you would live?

It is so easy to do nothing. It is easy to remain quiet in the face of religious oppression. It is easier to just get along with the culture.

We often think the way the world wants us to think, rather than how God wishes us to think.

The Apostle Peter was caught in this lie. As we heard last week, Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, but now he is thinking in the way of man, instead of God.

Jesus told his disciples that he must suffer and be killed, but He would rise to life on the third day. But, all Peter could hear was that his friend and Lord would die. He couldn’t comprehend that. That seemed so wrong.

“Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” Peter said. (Matthew 16:22)

So, Jesus rebukes Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:23)

[Mind on God, or Man?]

Are you setting your mind on the things of God, or on the things of man? Are you thinking about what God would like for you to do when you make a decision in your daily life?

The Apostle Paul reminds us in today’s Epistle on the marks of a Christian. He writes to us through inspiration, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold on fast to what is good…Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:9, 12)

In other words, Christians are to be examples of genuine love, not being a hypocrite; Christians are to despise evil, sin and the devil; Christians are to cling to the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Christians are to rejoice in the hope of Christ; Christians are to be patient and not rush to judgment when trials arise; Christians are to talk with the true God about every need of body and soul.

As Christians, we are to look out for each other and live peaceably with all. We are a peculiar people. We are different. We live in this world, but we are not of this world. We are to be concerned when we and other Christians sin. In our concern for ourselves, we repent and ask God for forgiveness.  In our concern for other Christians, we inform them of their sin in brotherly affection.

[Christ’s Cross Brings Life and Salvation]

Like Bonhoeffer, we should be prepared to take our cross and follow Jesus. We are to remain steadfast in the one true faith.

Thankfully, when we take our cross, we do not face death in vain, because through Christ’s death and ultimate resurrection, we have everlasting life and salvation.

We are reminded of what Christ has done for us when we witness a Christian being baptized with the water and the Word. We are reminded of what Christ has done for us each time we eat and drink His body and His blood under the bread and wine at the Lord’s Supper.

By Christ’s cross, Jesus has redeemed the world, and in His resurrection, He has vindicated all who trust in Him. Thus, the Christian life is a discipleship of self-sacrificing love. Since Christ has reconciled us to God, we “live peaceably with all.” By the certainty of His cross and resurrection, “we rejoice in hope,” and we are “patient in tribulation” and “constant in prayer.”

So, Lord keep us steadfast in your Word; curb those who by deceit or sword / would wrest the kingdom from Your Son / and bring to naught all He has done. Amen. (LSB 655, verse 1)

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.