"To Government & Citizens" (Lent Midweek 2 - Luther's Table of Duties)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Lent is a season of repentance as we reflect on why our Lord died on the cross for us. But Lent is also about catechesis, because Lent is a catechetical season.

 

Tonight, we continue to make our way through the Christian “house rules” on how we deal with each other. These “house rules” serve as our groundwork on our Lutheran worldview of vocation. These vocations are the duties or responsibilities that we each owe to our neighbor.

 

As I said last week, first a word of warning: Luther’s intention in including the Table of Duties was to serve us as our guide – the Third Use of the Law – in how we ought to live in this world and what is our duty to one another. But as it always is, when the Law is at play, we often hear the Law as its Second Use – mirror, because the Law always accuses, but again, the primary use and focus of the Table of Duties is to encourage us as we live out our lives in the various vocations that God has placed you and I in.

 

Tonight, we will focus on the third of the Three Estates: government, as we consider the next two pairs in the Table of Duties: “Of Civil Government” and “Of Citizens.”

 

As we ponder this third estate, we are reminded that Christians are not anarchists. We believe that fallen man requires an earthly government. Luther, himself, has said that it is better to live under a tyrant than to live under an anarchy where there is no order, no predictability, and therefore no stability. So, the government has a claim on us. 

 

Today is March 4. Besides the news in the Middle East, if you turn on your television or listen to the radio or podcast, or wander through Walmart, you are quickly reminded that it is tax season. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, it is if you like numbers and filing and stress and seeing your money vanish.

 

Paying taxes is one of the most direct ways that we experience the topic of these two pairings from the Table of Duties that we consider tonight. On one hand, these pairings are very straightforward. But they also confront us with challenging questions – questions that the Christian faith answers in ways that are different from the fallen world.

 

Luther provides only one Scripture text for the topic “Of Civil Government” and it’s likely that’s all that we will need. In Romans 13(:1-4), St. Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the government authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

 

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul says in a straightforward manner that governing authorities have been instituted by God. God is the one who has provided them. And since God put them there, to resist the governing authority – the civil government – is to resist God Himself.

 

You see, the role of the civil government is simple. It is to restrain wrongdoing and is to maintain order. St. Paul adds, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger to carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer”(Romans 13:3-4). Paul, here, is describing the civil government as “God’s servant.”

 

Civil government exists for one reason and one reason only. Civil government exists because of sin. Civil government exists because it is the means God has established to restrain and control evil. Because when given a chance, sinners will do terrible things. That is why God established civil government.

 

Again, the government is God’s servant. But what about when the government rejects what God has commanded? The government can be in the wrong when it overreaches the authority of its estate. An example of this is if the civil government would command things that are contrary to God’s will, such as commanding how the Church worships, and to that, we will say, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). And when that happens, we are called to suffer for the truth.

 

We must also remember that St. Paul wrote the Book of Romans during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero. So, if Christians were to be subject to Nero, an unstable man who had Christians burned as torches to light up the night, we are to be subject to all who are given the civil authority over us. Even with all his flaws, at least Nero kept order in the Roman Empire.

 

So, there is good reason why Luther included “good government” among the blessings of daily bread, because life without government is a frightening thing. Again, it is better to live under a tyrant than under an anarchy where there is no order.

 

But no government is free. It may appear that government is able to grow money from trees, but that money is paid for by our tax dollars. So, every government costs money. “Therefore,” Paul writes, “one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, … Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (Romans 13:5-6a, 7). In saying this, St. Paul was only repeating what Jesus had taught in Mark 12:17: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

 

So, like it or not, government is a great blessing from God. And its main vocation is to restrain sin. And so, Paul said in 1 Timothy 2(:1-3): “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”

 

When you were baptized into Christ, you were made a part of the royal priesthood of God’s people. As part of this priestly service, our vocation is to pray. And this is what we do at each Divine Service as we pray for our civil authorities each week. But this vocation isn’t just limited to our time together in this space as we are to pray for God’s enlightening of our civil authorities as a part of our daily lives.

 

During this season of Lent, we follow our Lord as He makes His way to the cross and empty tomb. He goes to the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. By His death, He has won for us forgiveness. By His bodily resurrection, He has won for us eternal life.

 

Civil government is a great blessing from God. It restrains sin and allows us to live in peace. Our vocation is to obey the government, pay our taxes and pray for those who govern us. Yet, when the government acts unjustly, or when it commands things that violate God’s will, we are called to follow our Lord in entrusting ourselves to God in the midst of suffering. We do this knowing that all authorities have been instituted by God, who has given us forgiveness, life, and salvation through Jesus’ blood and merit. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"He Loves Us To The End" (John 13:1-17, 31b-35)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come 
to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

 

Jesus utterly loved His apostles. Jesus utterly loves you. He loves His whole creation.

 

Tonight is Maundy Thursday, or also called, Holy Thursday. The word “maundy” is derived from the Latin word mandatum, which means command. For it was on this night that Jesus gave the command to His disciples saying, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

 

“God is love” (1 John 4:16). John 3:16-17 sum up God’s love for us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

 

It was out of God’s love that caused Him to create the world in the first place. And His love endures forever. Jesus is the embodiment of this love. He is love in human flesh.

 

But we are the opposite of what God intended us to be. Instead of truly loving God and loving our neighbor, we are curved in on ourselves. We love ourselves. We would rather be served by others than to serve. We daily sin against the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods,” since we want to be God. We grasp equality with God as Adam and Eve did. We follow right in line with the original sin. We all want to be almighty God. This is supreme idolatry.

 

We so often fail at love. But what are we best at? We are best at being selfish. We are best at putting ourselves as the center of the universe and that everyone else should love and serve you. We use people. We manipulate people for our own benefit. A holy and just God would have every reason to give us what we truly deserve: eternal death apart from God. May we repent of our selfishness.

Because of our sinful condition, we cannot change ourselves into holy and righteous people. All we can do is possibly turn us poor, miserable sinners into sinners. Maybe, we could sin less, but we will continue to sin. And all sin separates us from God. It’s our sin that pulls us away from God’s love, while God is reaching out to us in His love. Our sinful nature wants nothing to do with God and His unconditional forgiveness.

 

For us to change, we must die and be born again as new people, with new minds, new thinking, and a new disposition. Clearly, we cannot do that. We can’t kill ourselves and make ourselves alive as holy people.

 

But God is love and as a loving God, He “desires all people to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4a). So, how does God show this love so that people would be saved?

 

We see this love in the Son of God who came down from heaven to serve, give everything, even Himself. He was born of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin and placed in a feeder’s trough. “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head”(Matthew 8:20). Jesus was willing to leave everything behind and empty Himself of all the glory of heaven and the treasures of the entire universe to live among us and one of us.

 

What man covets; God laid aside. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

 

We all try to serve. We attempt to lose ourselves in service to our fellow man, but ultimately, self-righteousness and a self-serving attitude win the day.

 

But Jesus loves us to the end. On that first Maundy Thursday, Jesus used that occasion to demonstrate His complete, unwavering love for them and for us, a love He bore to the very end. The Passover dinner was underway, and this would be His last. On this night, He would institute the Lord’s Supper for the forgiveness of our sins and to strengthen our weak faith. On this night, He knew that He would be betrayed. Yet, Jesus was still in control. Heaven’s plan was coming together. It was now up to the Son of God to see it through.

 

So, Jesus, gives His disciples an old commandment, to which He renews. He speaks the words of Leviticus 19: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), to which He had previously renewed elsewhere in the Gospels. But Jesus uses this occasion to not just speak of this commandment, but to show this commandment in action.

 

So, Jesus rose from dinner and served His disciples as a slave would serve his master and his master’s guests. He washes their feet.

 

Now, is Jesus instituting a new sacrament? No. For He says, “I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). What Jesus is doing serves as an object lesson, a pattern of humility for Christians to follow, that still applies to us. You see, a true leader, a true friend, a true neighbor, is one who serves others. This act of washing His disciples’ feet tells us that a follower of Jesus will act in humble service as Jesus did.

 

This new commandment is not being spoken about, but shown. And by showing His love in action, He is giving this commandment a fresh and new quality. So, Jesus’ command was to love one another as He had loved them by lowing Himself to a servant. And from that night on, Jesus’ disciples were to practice that love in the light of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

 

This love is called “agape.” This love sacrifices for others. Jesus is the embodiment of this love. He gives and He gives, and He gives. He gives of Himself tonight in His very body and blood under bread and wine to forgive your sins.

 

Later that night, Jesus would “give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28) as He would “give for the life of the world [His] flesh” (John 6:51). 

 

As Jesus hung on the cross one day later, He took upon Himself all our wickedness, all our iniquity, all our brokenness, all our pain. He reconciled you and me back to God the Father. He changed us. He took all our selfishness upon Himself. He made a way to reconciliation. He made peace by the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20).

 

God loved you so much that He died for you. And God did not remain dead. He rose, so that you would also rise. In Christ alone, you are a new creation. In Christ alone, you are born again. This is what happened at your Baptism. It was through the water and Word that the Holy Spirit gave you a new mind with new thinking and a new disposition. 

Now, through Christ’s love, you are able to look outside yourself. You are now able to serve your neighbor in agape love – sacrificial love. You don’t ask for anything in return. You just serve out of love. You serve in loving service to God.

 

God’s heart is one of eternal love, of sacrificial love. He loved you even before you loved Him. For “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

 

God loves us to the end. He loves by serving. Serving is what defines the one true God. He serves us sinners with His forgiveness in Word and Sacrament. He serves us life and salvation. May we all repent of our selfishness and receive Christ’s love through the forgiveness of sins. And may He continually empower us to “be imitators of God, as beloved Children” walking in love as Christ loved us (Ephesians 5:1-2) by giving and serving our neighbor in sacrificial love. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 12: "Persistent Faith" (Matthew 15:21-28)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“O woman, great is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28). With those words, Jesus healed this woman’s daughter instantly.

 

But it wasn’t easy. Oh no! It wasn’t easy for this Canaanite woman! Sometimes what we ask of God in our prayers also isn’t easy. “O Lord, please heal me!” “O Lord, please heal my loved one!” We want our prayers answered. We desire our prayers to be answered. But sometimes we forget that our prayers are not about our will, but His will. Sometimes, we get silence. No answer. And you may even wonder, “God, are you even listening to me?”

 

This morning on this 12^th Sunday after Pentecost, Jesus and His disciples travel north of Galilee and into the district of Tyre and Sidon in what is modern Lebanon. This is Gentile territory. This is not a Jewish territory and has never been Jewish territory. Jesus and His disciples are well beyond the historic borders of the Kingdom of Israel.

 

So, why is Jesus and His disciples in a Gentile territory that has never been a part of Israel? Well, it appears that they did not go there to engage in any compassionate ministry. It appears that they weren’t there to preach or to heal. So, why are they there? Well, they are there because things were getting a little too hot for comfort due to Christ’s recent confrontation with the Pharisees. So, they’re there to take a breather.

 

But could there be more to just taking some time away? Jesus is beyond the historic Jewish borders for a reason.

 

“And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon’” (Matthew 15:22).

 

Now, you may recall that the Jews and the Canaanites have a history. A history that goes all the way back to Moses. You see, Israel was ordered by God to exterminate the Canaanites, because of idol worship (Deuteronomy 20:17). That clearly did not happen, because we have a Canaanite woman coming up to a Jew. What is going through her mind?

Well, clearly, she knows who Jesus is. She has heard about Him. His fame had spread even past Galilee and into the Gentile lands. But this woman doesn’t just know of Jesus, she also believes in Him and His power. She trusts in Him. She believes in Him to be the promised Messiah and Redeemer from sin and the devil’s power.

 

Although she was a Canaanite and not a Jew, she believed in the promise of the Gospel. She believed that the Promised Messiah didn’t only come for the Jews, but even for her, and all people like her. She believed what Isaiah recorded from God: “The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to Him, to love the name of the Lord … these I will bring to My holy mountain … for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:6, 7).

 

She believed she was included. She believed in God’s promise to Abraham: “In your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18).

 

You see, this woman’s faith rested upon these promises. Her faith was not in herself. She knew that she could not possibly save her daughter. Instead, she clung to the promise that God’s offspring would be the Savior for all people – for all sinners, including her. Her faith rested upon that promise. This was the only thing that could give her any hope.

 

But to her cry for help, Jesus did not answer her a word. Jesus stood there in silence. 

 

I thought Jesus was our friend. We just sang how great a friend Jesus is! I thought He was faithful! Jesus what happened? Why are you silent?

 

Is Jesus denying her request? Is Jesus denying her faith? Is Jesus denying her prayer?

 

Sometimes, we think God is not listening to our prayers as if we are all alone and He doesn’t care.

 

But then it appears to go from bad to worse for this woman. To end this awkward silence, the disciples beg Jesus, “Send her away! Just give her what she wants so she’ll leave us alone!”

 

To that request, Jesus says to the disciples, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). This is Jesus saying, “O, you my beloved disciples, I am not here for your convenience or to be a wandering miracle worker. I wasn’t sent for her.”

Jesus wasn’t sent for this her? This is the friend we have in Jesus? Some friend He is! How can we say that Christ loves this woman and her daughter, considering what she is experiencing? But Jesus knows this woman’s heart. He is treating her this way to know the true nature of her heart. Where is her faith? Who is she trusting? Through these afflictions, her faith is turning from self-reliance to only Jesus Himself.

 

As this woman overheard Jesus say that He didn’t come for her, she persists as she kneels before Him – she worships Him – and says, “Lord, help me” (Matthew 15:25).

 

Now, Jesus speaks. But if His words were harsh before, they are even worse now. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26). Yes, you heard that right, Jesus is calling this woman a dog. Here, Jesus is making a distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews are called “children” and the Gentiles are called dogs.

 

But how does this woman respond? Does she get defensive saying, “How dare you!”? No. She actually agrees with Him. “Yes, Lord, I am a dog.” She receives His word and simply agrees.

 

“Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table” (Matthew 15:27).

 

She believed. She agreed with Jesus. “You’re right Lord, I am a dog. I am a sinner. I don’t deserve Your help. I have no right to ask You for help. But if it is Your will, You are my only hope. I will never let go. For without You, I have no hope.”

 

To this, Jesus says, “O woman, great is your faith” (Matthew 15:28) and her daughter was healed instantly.

 

This Canaanite woman was persistent. But it wasn’t her persistence that necessarily got the results. It was her faith. Her faith was great because the object of her faith was Jesus and His saving word. Jesus was not being mean to this woman. He was treating this woman this way to reveal the true faith in her heart.

 

You see, the struggles that we face day after day with our sin and our constant temptations from Satan, the world, and our very nature, are used by God to draw us away from relying upon ourselves to relying upon Him. Faith believes in the Gospel and cries out to God for help.

 

So, we do have a friend in Jesus! He did come for this Canaanite woman and her daughter. He came for you and for me!

 

So, yes, God is listening to your prayers! And He doesn’t just listen. He also answers every single prayer with His good and gracious divine will. But like the Canaanite woman, yours and my prayers are not always answered immediately. It may appear as if God isn’t listening, but He is. He reveals His will to you and to me as yes, no, or not yet though His Word. He speaks to us and answers us in His Holy written Word. So, if it appears He isn’t listening, maybe it’s not Him who isn’t listening, but you. Yes, God can work miracles outside of His Word, but it is always best to look where He always promises to be found: in His Word and His Sacraments.

 

The good and gracious will of God is that all people would be saved from their sins. The good and gracious will of God is that all people would come to His house of prayer. But for that to happen, humanity would have to be brought back to God. Jesus who came for the lost sheep of Israel, also came for the dogs. He is the Savior for the Jews and Gentiles alike. Jesus became man to suffer and die in our place. As poor, miserable sinners, we deserve that cross, we deserve that pain, we deserve that death. We deserve all that because we have turned from God and to sin. But God would not have all of humanity perish. God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the Man Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:4-6).

 

The Canaanite woman is an illustration of how we all ought to be. We also ought to have a persistent faith. We ought to have faith that loves God’s Word. The faith that clings to God’s Word. The faith that clings to His Sacraments. For there is no hope for us apart from God and His Word and Sacraments. 

 

Like the Canaanite woman, our access to God is not dependent on our merits. She had no merits. She was an outsider. She was a sinner. Even so, she prayed. She prayed relentless. She would not let go but held fast in worship to Jesus. May we follow her example as we lay our burdens before Christ focusing on Him alone as the object of our faith. Amen.

 

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

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Lent 1: "Paradise Lost ... and Found" (Genesis 3:1-21)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

God created paradise. Adam and Eve had everything. They lived in thankful and loving obedience to God. There was nothing hidden between God and man, and between Adam and Eve. Everything was perfect since Adam and Eve were created by God without sin. Being without sin, temptations to evil could not arise in their hearts.

 

But then came the agent of temptation. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made” (Genesis 3:1a). This serpent was very subtle, cunning, and crafty. Now, this was not some mere snake, for snakes and every other creature had no sense of right and wrong. So, what we have here is something more than a snake.

 

This serpent spoke. But snakes don’t talk! Yes, we know that. And Adam and Eve knew that! So, when this serpent began speaking to Eve, she would have known that she was dealing with something more than just a serpent.

 

The serpent said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1b) This is the temptation of all temptations. The first temptation was to doubt God’s Word. This is the main temptation to this day. You see, Eve was not having a conversation with any ordinary snake. She was conversing with Satan himself, who is using this serpent as his tool. Now, Satan did not come out with a flat charge against God from the start. All he did was pose the suggestion that God may be holding out on her. Satan wanted to plant doubt in Eve’s heart regarding God’s Word. 

 

But up to this point, Eve had a perfect love and trust toward her God of overwhelming love. Trusting Him, she also trusted His Word. She regarded His prohibition regarding that one tree as what it truly was: an opportunity for her and Adam to express their love with wholehearted obedience.

 

Satan’s intention was to sow in Eve a suspicion concerning God’s goodness. From sowing doubt in God’s Word, it would be an easy step to the thought: Then why did God utter any prohibition at all? IsGod really good? All Satan desired was to plant this suspicion.

But Eve rightly responds to Satan: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die’” (Genesis 3:2).

 

Here, Eve is clinging to her faith in God and His goodness. She understood very well that the serpent was trying to make God’s commandment doubtful in her mind. Eve used God’s own Word as her shield and weapon. You see, by pointing out that God’s commandment allowed them to eat of the many other trees, Eve was praising the bountiful goodness of her God. That one tree was not necessary for food. So, they did not find the prohibition of that tree as any problem. Yes, that tree was there, but there were all those other trees available for food. Essentially, Eve is saying: “God has told us to have nothing to do with that tree, and we shall gladly obey His loving warning.”

 

But at the same time, by Eve saying, “lest you die,” those words gave Satan an opening. And all Satan needs is just a smidgen of a crack to cast any doubt. He says: “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). Here, Satan moves from sly insinuation to bold denial. 

 

Satan proceeded to darken the name of the good and gracious God by saying, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). Satan is saying: “You know, you thought God was good and gracious. No, he’s not! He’s actually holding out on you! He is keeping you away from being like Him! He isn’t good and gracious at all. No, He is envious and jealous of you. You could rise to new heights, but He won’t let you. He’s holding you back, since He doesn’t want you to enjoy everything with Him.”

 

Here, Satan is seeding pride in Eve. He is saying that she and Adam deserved equality or near-equality with God, and Satan was charging God with denying them their rights. You deserve compensation. You deserve reparations. Oh, yes, I do! 

 

Satan promises to Eve that they “will be like God, knowing good and evil.” But knowing good and evil in what sense? Satan did not say. His promises to his intended victims are always vague. He holds out as the bait for disobedience some gain or pleasure or honor so great that it can only be imagined, but he never defines them. And this tempting method of Satan is only too effective.

 

Again, Eve was not helpless. God had made her and Adam in His image. Eve had a perfect relationship with God. But Eve made a decision. When she “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6). Paradise lost. Satan’s lie took over Eve’s heart. She sinned in thought and deed as she pushed away God’s Word.

 

Through Satan’s deceit, she found that tree to be good for food – a tree which God had said was notgood for food. Her reason was perverted. She should have been repelled by the tree, but now she is attracted to it. Eve’s emotions were all awry. Sin thoroughly corrupted her heart.

 

But what about Adam? The Apostle Paul tells us: “Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” (1 Timothy 2:14). So, Adam was not seduced into transgression the same way Eve was. She was seduced directly by Satan; Adam was persuaded by his wife in the face of better knowledge.

 

But Adam was not less guilty than Eve. Adam had the same knowledge of God’s goodness to cause him to reject Satan’s lie and to remain unmoved in his trust in his God.

 

In fact, Adam is the one who is solely responsible for the Fall. You see, “Adam was formed first, then Eve” (1 Timothy 2:13). Adam and Eve stepped out of the roles given them by God at creation, since Eve was to follow the leadership of her head, Adam. Eve was created as Adam’s helper. But we see here that Eve usurped Adam as she took the lead while Adam gave up his role.

 

Their eyes were opened. They now knew good and evil. They knew good as something they had lost. They knew evil as something terrible and accursed, as something that filled them with an unbearable sense of guilt. 

 

Their eyes were opened to changed feelings. Before the Fall, it did not trouble them to see each other naked. Everything they did was innocent and in harmony with God’s will. But now all they felt was guilt as “they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths” (Genesis 3:7b).

 

In their guilt, they could no longer walk in the garden freely. Instead, they attempted to hide from God among the trees of the garden. They had never felt this way before. Fear was foreign to them. By their fear, they revealed their guilt.

Their attempt to hide from God reveals something else. Did they actually believe that they could hide from the all-knowing and omnipresent God and so escape His punishment? Yes, they did. They showed their stupidity and this foolish attempt has found imitators all through the ages. How often do you think you can hide your sins from God?

 

In His righteous anger, God could have destroyed them then and there. But He didn’t. Though man had proved to be unfaithful, He remained the God of faithful and unwavering love. He remained faithful to them.

 

Despite God knowing that Adam and Eve would attempt to play the blame game with Him, He announced a new dimension to His love, a love for sinners. But in order to prepare them for that announcement, He had to bring the guilt of their sin home to them. His Good News of salvation would have no meaning for them if they did not realize their sin.

 

God says to Adam, “Where are you?” Adam replies: “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10). In one breath, Adam admits his sin. He admitted that he was afraid of God and showed that he knew that his sin was the cause of his fear.

 

But why didn’t Adam confess his sin openly? He didn’t because he was now a sinful man and sinful men hate to confess their guilt. Notice that Adam did not say what disturbed him by his nakedness. He knew it was the result of his fall into sin, but he tried to cover up the fact. 

 

But God never gave up on Adam. So, He asked Adam: “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (Genesis 3:11). This is God saying: “You confessed your shame over being naked. But out with the rest of it! What caused the shame? Tell me, have you broken My commandment by eating of the forbidden fruit?”

 

Instead of making a straightforward confession, Adam placed the blame on God for giving him Eve. “It’s her fault! Why did You give me such a wife? If you had not done that, she could not have seduced me!”

 

How many of us have done the same? I didn’t mean to! If it wasn’t for my friend, I would have never done it! But you did it.

 

Then Eve says to God: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13b). She admitted that she had transgressed God’s will, but she, too, would not take responsibility for her sin. Adam blamed Eve and God. Eve, in turn, blamed the serpent. But, passing on the blame to others does not absolve you from your sin. Adam and Eve may have been deceived, but they are responsible for sinning against God.

 

At this moment, Satan believed that he has won the victory over God and mankind that was created after His likeness. But unbeknownst to Satan, God says to him: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:14).

 

Satan is to be held responsible for the seduction, and he will experience humiliation and defeat as the just divine retribution. “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).

 

Now, Satan had to hear this announcement of his own judgment and defeat. But at the same time, Adam and Eve were to also hear and ponder this word revealing God’s grace, His undeserved love toward them.

 

In short, God foretells the constant enmity or conflict between the believing children of God and the unbelieving world – a conflict that will go on until the end of the world. The source of the hostility and hatred are the unbelievers, just as it was in the Garden. But it is also true that it is God who established the enmity between believers and unbelievers. God is the one who puts into our hearts the godly and childlike trust in Him to serve Him in loving obedience. Unbelievers, however, cling to their life under Satan as they resent and hate all those who trust in God as disturbers of their “so-called” peace.

 

In this struggle, there will be a champion who will represent all men, just as Adam was the representative of mankind in the first and fatal encounter with Satan. “He – the offspring of Eve – will crush [Satan’s] head, and [Satan] will strike His heel” (Genesis 3:15b).

 

Despite paradise being lost in the Garden, Paradise is found today in none other than Jesus Christ. Just as Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan, Jesus was tempted. But unlike Adam and Eve who were deceived, Jesus resisted every temptation for us and for our salvation! He resisted Satan all the way to His atoning death on the cross as He kept God’s Law and bore the Law’s just sentence: death. He died in Adam and Eve’s place. He died in your place! His death was like a torturous burn like the venom of a serpent’s bite, but in the process, He would “bruise the serpent’s head.”

 

Out of His grace for us poor miserable sinners, God gives us the certain promise of paradise through His Son Jesus Christ as He has destroyed Satan’s power to accuse us of our sins. By grace through faith in Christ alone, we are set free from what our sins deserve: eternal death and hell. In turn, by clinging to Jesus, we are given what we don’t deserve: eternal life and salvation! Amen.

 

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

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Thanksgiving: "Giving Thanks Through Prayer" (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Happy Thanksgiving! This evening we have gathered in God’s house to give thanks to Him for all He has done for us!

Thanksgiving is a day with many traditions, especially with family, food, and football. Among these traditions, comes travel, since most families live states apart, but on Thanksgiving families re-unite. In recent years, the days around Thanksgiving have been among the busiest travel days of the year, and the Sunday following Thanksgiving has consistently been the busiest travel day of the year. So, we certainly desire to be with family to celebrate this national holiday.

As the family re-unites, we come together around food, especially turkey and all the fixings – the cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, casseroles, and the dinner rolls. We come together at the dining room table and share stories.

Then for many, there is football. Either sitting together watching it on television or tossing the football in the backyard, or both.

But most importantly, we come together to give thanks. 

Tomorrow is the National Day of Thanksgiving, and that day is a very specific day about giving thanks. But you may not know that the National Day of Thanksgiving has only been a fixed holiday on our calendars since 1941. But this holiday is deeply rooted in America. One could say, this is the one holiday that is uniquely American.

We celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. Its original observance was in 1621 as a harvest festival held at the Plymouth Colony. It was observed by the pilgrims – those puritans who emigrated from Europe – and the Native Americans who helped them plant and harvest.

During the colonial period, there were many observances of thanksgiving.

After the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress recommended a day of thanksgiving for the return of peace in 1784. Then in 1789, President George Washington issued the first National Day of Thanksgiving for the establishment of this new republic. After the War of 1812, President James Madison called for a day of thanksgiving. But national interest began to wane as various cities and states picked random days for thanksgiving.

But what we think of the National Day of Thanksgiving today began under President Abraham Lincoln. In Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation, he noted that the nation had need for community prayer and thanksgiving to God.

Today, the National Day of Thanksgiving may have lost its former focus as a day of prayer. Instead, we often have this day focus upon ourselves. I’m sure we have all grown up with the question we hear so often this time of year: “What are you thankful for?” That is a good question, but what about this question: “Who are you thankful for?”

When you first heard today’s epistle read, you may wonder, what does this have to do with the Day of Thanksgiving? Well, it has everything to do with Thanksgiving! 

Abraham Lincoln was on to something. Thanksgiving is all about prayer. In fact, this is exactly what the Holy Spirit inspired St. Paul. He wrote: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1). For Paul, this is a matter of first importance. He says: “Pray, pray, and keep on praying for all people.” Here, Paul uses four synonyms for prayer, but they each have a particular nuance.

First “supplications.” So, what are supplications? Well, they are what we individually say to God when we approach Him with our needs. They are a call for help from God. “Lord, please heal my ailment.” “Lord, please help me with my finances.” But always, when we approach Him with our needs, we always end our prayer with “Your will be done.” No matter what, God knows our individual needs, but by our going to Him with our supplications we acknowledge Him as the only source who alone will satisfy our needs.

Second, we hear Paul using the general word “prayer” in our English text. But the nuance  in the original Greek [προσευχὰς (“pro-se-uch-as”)] is that of devotion and reverence as Christians approach their Lord. We acknowledge that He is the giver of all things as He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Third, Paul urges “intercessions.” So, what makes this form a prayer different? Intercessions are prayers on behalf of someone else. Here, we petition and appeal to God about the concerns we have for others. In fact, the Prayer of the Church is an intercession prayer. Through the Prayer of the Church, we pray boldly and confidently as we bring our petitions for all people according to their needs before God’s throne of grace.

Lastly, Paul urges “thanksgivings.” Thanksgivings are expressions of gratitude for past mercies received. Thanksgivings are always appropriate, even when earthly circumstances are difficult. Wemay be prone to say: “What am I thankful for?” “Do I really feel grateful?” Often, we like to focus upon our emotions, how we feel. But thankfulness is not an emotional response, but a spiritual discipline. If we feel that things don’t seem to be going your way, we are to always give thanks, because we are never separated from God’s love and mercy in Christ.

You see, thanksgiving is a response. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Why do we love God? We love Him, because “[He] sent His only Son in the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). You see, while we were still enemies of God, Jesus suffered and died in our place. Again, the Lord initiates and He leads us to acknowledge it, so we then give thanks for it.

We give thanks for the gift of Christ, as our one and only Savior from the power of sin, so that through Him, we have life!

For Paul, these four terms for prayer are aspects of first importance for our prayer life. We make requests for specific needs. We bring those in view before God always knowing that His will is done. We appeal boldly on behalf of others. And we give thankfulness to God for them.

Just imagine this. As Paul urges us to pray, he doesn’t just urge us to pray for ourselves and fellow Christians to God, but he urges us to pray for all people, including “kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Timothy 2:2a). And who was the earthly ruler of Paul’s day?  Caesar Nero. During Nero’s reign Christians were persecuted because they refused to worship him, and Paul himself suffered martyrdom. Despite this, heathen rulers are among those who need our prayers for even their authority was established by God (Romans 13:1). So, all earthly authorities need our prayer, especially those who may seek to harm the church.

Prayer for our nation and her leaders has an important purpose: that we might freely confess Christ as Savior. Rather than becoming a part of today’s culture, we are set apart by God as the “communion of saints.” Therefore, we pray for those in authority “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life” (1 Timothy 2:2). The Church then - can freely carry out the Lord’s work and nourish her people by Word and Sacraments.

As Christians, the National Day of Thanksgiving has a greater meaning for us than just one day on the calendar to give thanks. Again, the word “thanksgiving” means “grateful acknowledgment for the past mercies of God.” This leads us to come to God in prayer. 

 

We have so much to be thankful for:

§  He gives us His Word, which is the living voice of our Lord. 

§  Through water and the Word of God, we are brought into His kingdom in Holy Baptism.

§  In the Lord’s Supper, we receive Christ’s Body and Blood, which is the spiritual nourishment that gives us forgiveness of sins and renewed strength for the daily tasks of this life.

Throughout all of our days, the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – provides for all of our needs of body and soul.

As we gather at each Divine Service, we come together in prayer. We ask God to continue to bestow His grace on us, as we pray for the church, other people, and our leaders, since “[He] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). We pray before God’s throne of grace the needs of the people of God.

Hearing the truth of God’s Word, we are confident in prayer. We know that God promises to hear and answer our prayers.

On this National Day of Thanksgiving, we confess Jesus Christ as Savior and the giver of all good gifts. We give thanks in our worship and in our prayers. Amen.

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +