Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

St. Luke 7:11–17

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

Don’t let anyone confuse confidence in Christ for naiveté. Don’t let anyone tell you your faith is just weak thinking, false hope, useless wishing. The world stumbles back and forth between two pits. Either they think: death is the end, that’s all there is. So they cling to every moment now, and do whatever it takes to keep on living as long as they can. Or they just parrot a lot of nice sounding, but empty clichés: “Death is just a natural part of life.” “He’s in a better place now.”

A Christian can say that second one: “He’s in a better place now.” But without Christ that phrase is entirely meaningless, utterly useless. In fact, it’s straight-up nihilism—there is no meaning to anything. Let’s just think through what that phrase is really saying. Without Christ and His resurrection, death means nonexistence. So, to say “He’s in a better place now,” without Christ, without His resurrection in view, then it means nonexistence is a better place than this world; not existing is better than this life. If that’s true, you might as well die right now and get it all over with.

Of course, most people don’t want to admit that logical conclusion, so they cover it up with nice sounding clichés, either stealing from Christianity, like “he’s in a better place now,” or “she’s at peace,” without ever mentioning Jesus. Or they borrow from paganism, like “she lives on in our memories,” or “now his spirit is one with nature.” All of that is some weak thinking and useless wishing.

Only Christians are really capable of seeing death for the absolute terror that it is, and at the same time, not being afraid of it. Christians do not wear rose colored glasses or bury their heads in the sand. We know and face head-on the hardship and ugliness of this world. Eternal life with our Lord is not an escape or a coping mechanism. It is the reward for faith in Him.  But while we wait for His reward, we deal with the reality of death. On its own, apart from Christ, death is not good or peaceful or dignified. It is not just another part of life. It is the punishment for sin and the end of life. It is the violent ripping apart of body and soul. 

Sometimes parents have to bury their children. Widows are left alone. Sometimes the cancer comes back. Both drunk drivers and good soldiers can kill innocent victims. Christians recognize that this world is full of death. But only Christians, are really capable of staring death in the face because we know that death is not what God intended for anyone.

For the widow of Nain, it seemed that all hope was lost. She was facing the reality of death, first her husband and now her only son. And no nice-sounding cliché was going to help her. It appeared as though God was against her and had completely abandoned her. Into that ugly and desperate scene, Jesus steps in. And He had compassion on her—not because her son was too young or because it wasn’t fair on her. They were sinners like everyone else. That young man deserved to die. That poor widow deserved to die as well. But it was our Lord’s compassion that brought Him to die for sinners and so destroy death. And so, it was on that basis that He took away the woman’s tears and gave life back to her son.

When the world says, “All is lost. Death is the end,” the Christian always responds, “Not so. Jesus still lives.” Jesus has compassion for sinners and His compassion moves His power for sinners. He raised the widow’s son. And that resurrection was a preview for our own. This miracle proves that for God there is no lasting barrier between death and life. Jesus makes this point Himself in Matthew 22: “Have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (31–32). So, although Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are dead, with God they are still alive. Although we die, with Him we are not dead. This Scripture and this miracle show us how Christ has power over death, so that in the face of death we may take comfort in Him. We don’t take comfort in the world’s pleasant platitudes and sweet nothings, and we don’t fall into the world’s despair. Death frightens us, but by faith in Christ we are not afraid. Death can scare us, but that’s all it can do to us. 

I may not want to die, but I know I must. So when I think of death, I think about my Savior and what He has done and what He has promised to do for me. My Savior declares: “Death, I shall be the death of you. Grave, I shall be your destruction. You can kill My Christians, but in turn I can throttle you, and call My Christians back to life.” Even though death will take me, one day my Lord will do for me what He did for the widow’s son in Nain. He will say to me, “Anthony, I say to you, arise.” With those powerful words, He will put my body and soul back together. And I will get up and begin to speak and sing and praise My Lord, the God of the living. Those who die are not dead to God. They live in Christ. And He will raise us from the grave as easily as waking us up from sleep.

I still wonder why so many people avoid talking about Jesus, even when they like talking about heaven or life after death. Why do they like talking vaguely about that “better place” when the real, flesh and blood Gospel is so much better? I think it’s because they view God only as the Judge. They think they are saved by being a good person. And if Jesus is not the Savior of sinners, then He is only the Judge. This would mean that you have to get yourself right with God by your deeds, rather than rely on righteousness of Christ. This is a lie from the Devil, and it makes Christ worse than death itself. This is why they are still afraid, even if they pretend not to be. They are still afraid of death and Judgment Day, because they do not know the real Jesus.

But true Christians do know their Savior and they can view death and Judgment Day differently. Are you afraid to die? It’s okay to be honest. It’s good to confess it. Yes, death scares me. But, I am baptized and believe in my Lord Jesus Christ. I eat His immortal body and drink His life-giving blood. He died for my sins, and by His resurrection He has made me right with God. Although I die, yet shall I live.

Death is not our end and God is not our enemy. Christ is not coming to damn us, nor does He offer empty comfort. He is our helper and advocate with the heavenly Father. He is coming to us with compassion, just as He came to the distressed widow and her dead son. He is coming with real comfort for the living and real life for the dead. He is our confident hope, our victory, our life. In Him, I am not afraid.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Inspired by Martin Luther’s Sermons, Baker, Vol. VII, pp.24–35.

Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

Habakkuk 3:1–2, 13–19

St. Matthew 6:24–34

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

Do not be anxious about your life. Could there be a more fitting verse for us right now? All we see, all we are told, all we know is anxiety, worry, fear—anxiety about the virus; worry about how to handle it or prevent it; fear that this will never end; fear of suffering for our loved ones or for ourselves; fear of death. But Jesus says, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. He says don’t be anxious about our health, about our possessions. He says don’t be anxious about trying to control our lives.

Some will think, all this from Jesus sounds nice, but we can’t take it too seriously. Less worry in your life is fine, but your health is still important. But Jesus says that you should not be anxious about food! That’s incredibly serious. You die without food. And Jesus says not to worry about it. So then we certainly should not be anxious about medicine. Without the right medicine, you might die and you might not. But without food, you’ll definitely die. 

Jesus’ command for us is not nice; it’s incredibly challenging. It hits us right where our other master is. We try to serve two masters: God and Mammon. And Mammon is not just money—it’s the god of this material life and it includes our health. And for most of us today, whether it’s in the form of diet and exercise or staying safe from a virus, we let Mammon rule over us. But we cannot serve Mammon and God together.

I think the proof of that is seen if we consider, are we ever anxious about Christ? We’re anxious about health and everything else in our lives, but are we ever anxious about hearing God’s Word or reading our Bible? Do we ever lose sleep over missing church, or put everything else on hold so we can go to the Lord’s Supper? Funny how those things always seem to come later, when we’re not so anxious about everything else. That’s a sure sign we have a master other than our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus demands, Do not be anxious about your life. Stop serving Mammon. He is right and He is just to say it. But as a word of Law it doesn’t really help us does it? If you’re worried about something, it almost never helps when someone tells you, Don’t worry. That didn’t solve the problem you’re worried about. So, what do we do? How should we hear Jesus’ command to not be anxious? We need to go back and read again what else He says, and so see what God is doing to take our anxiety away.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Of course, we know the answer is, Yes, I’m more valuable than a bird. But why? And are you sure? There are days or moments where it might feel as though you are completely worthless and life is not worth living. But you know what something is really worth when you know how much someone is willing to pay for it. And we know what God paid for you. Money’s no object for Him. In fact, money can’t begin to estimate the price He is willing to pay for you. Because He didn’t value you with gold or silver. God paid the awful, glorious price of His Son’s blood for you. Worth more than birds… That’s quite an understatement on Jesus’ part, trying to get you to really see how much your heavenly Father loves you. He loves you as much as His own beloved Son, because He gave up His Son on the cross so that He could have you back with Him. If this is how He loves you, then surely He is taking care of you. So, don’t be anxious.

Of course, some people consider themselves too practical for God. They claim to be realistic. It’s true that the Father gives food to the little birds and nice clothes to the little flowers, but sometimes the cat catches the bird. Sometimes the flower gets picked early. What are we going to do about that? We still have to plan, they say. We still have to take care of ourselves. There are still dangerous things out to get us. 

Well, Jesus has a follow up question for these realistic people: Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? What are you going to accomplish from worrying about this life and its stuff at all costs? What are you going to gain by trying everything in your power to delay sickness or death? Does the cat catch the bird? Does the flower get plucked? Yes, and that was how God directed it to be. He directs every moment of your life as well. You can’t ruin His plans for you. He loves you, which means He knows you and cares for you every moment He has given to you. 

King David confesses to God: in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139 (:16). Or Psalm 31: I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand (:14–15). Even before we existed, God knew every one of our days. He holds our lives in His loving hands, where nothing else can touch them without His allowing it, all in His good time for our eternal salvation.

Your anxiety does you no good. Your worry solves no problems and keeps no sickness at bay. Your fear cannot save you from death. But you have a heavenly Father who loves you. Loves you, so that He would send His Son to die for you and win you a kingdom. You have a righteousness that guarantees eternal life for you, the righteousness of Christ that actually replaces your sin and actually conquers your death. If you have all that, do not be anxious.

The prophet Habakkuk certainly learned what it meant to not be anxious. He gambles everything on God, was willing to lose it all in exchange for the Lord who gives true life. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, YET I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Even if we lose everything in this life, even if we lose this life itself, we may still rejoice in the Lord who gives us eternal salvation in His death and resurrection. This joyful confidence can only come from faith in Christ. In fact, just before Habakkuk’s prayer in chapter 3, God tells him the cause of salvation in chapter 2. It’s the line that is quoted by St. Paul in Romans: The righteous shall live by faith (Hab. 2:4). By faith in Christ, you are made righteous, right with God, and given everything you need for eternal life. And all the wealth and health of this world can’t even compare. Even if it all falls apart, you are righteous in Christ and you rejoice in the Lord.

All of that is really just another way of saying, Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the other things will be added to you. So, do you see better how Jesus removes anxiety and calms worry and takes away fear? He does it with His Father’s love, and with His own righteousness, and with His Spirit’s joy. And now do you see how Jesus handles all the things of this life that can cause so much anxiety? He handles it all with a loving playfulness, pointing out the carefree lives of the birds and the flowers, and bidding us to learn from them. Jesus handles everything with a calm contentment that comes from sharing His life with His heavenly Father. And He welcomes you to share that life as well.

Jesus doesn’t say we should not care about food or clothing or whatever else, but we should hold them lightly, not as if our lives depended on it. And if they are taken from us, nothing is lost. We still have a food that does not perish, but will make our bodies immortal—His own body and blood. We still have clothing that cannot wear out, but will cover us forever in the presence of God—His own righteousness. We still have a life that will not be taken or diminished, but will go on forever in His own kingdom.

So, the focus and goal of the Christian faith is not that there should be more material goods, more health, wealth, and safety, and also not that there should be less. Our focus and goal is there should be more love for God and for one another. More love for His Word and His kingdom found here in His Church, and more love shared between real persons—soul and body created by God; soul and body redeemed by the blood of His Son; soul and body waiting to be resurrected by the Spirit and live forever. Therefore do not be anxious about your life… Do not be anxious about tomorrow… But look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

St. Luke 17:11–19

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

The ten lepers asked for precisely the right thing: mercy. They saw Jesus. They knew who He was—they had heard about Him. So they lifted up their voices. They prayed. “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Kyrie eleison.

That’s a part of our liturgy. Kyrie eleison—Lord, have mercy. We sing it after the Introit: Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. In the ancient world, when a king was passing through a town, the poor would gather along the road and cry out like these lepers: Kyrie eleison—Lord, have mercy. They were asking for help, for protection, for food, money, and whatever else their king might give them. 

So, what were these ten lepers asking for specifically? They recognized Jesus as their King, their Master, but what kind of mercy did they have in mind? Were they just begging for money? Did they want Jesus to heal them because they had heard about His other miracles? Were they crying out for the forgiveness of sins, for salvation from God in the flesh? Maybe it was a bit of everything. We don’t know exactly what they had in mind for Jesus to do, but the important thing is they trusted in Jesus to do it. They didn’t ask for something specific, they asked for mercy. And they trusted that whatever mercy Jesus gave, that would be the right thing for them. 

See, Jesus answers even imperfect prayers. He doesn’t wait to answer only if you get the words just right, or say them enough times, or get enough people praying, or ask for just the right thing. Jesus is merciful already just by listening to our prayers. And so He is just as merciful in answering them.

So what do we pray for in the Kyrie? We might pray for forgiveness. We might pray for cleansing from our sins, and cleansing from the sins that others have done to us. We might pray for healing, for our families, for our jobs, for our church, for our country, for the world. That short, little prayer, Lord have mercy, encompasses all of that. The Kyrie is the Church’s prayer that combines all her prayers. That’s why we pray it in every liturgy, at every Divine Service, and also at the prayer offices, Matins and Vespers. The Kyrie acknowledges that we are sinful and ruined people living in a sinful and ruined world. We need the mercy of Jesus for everything, and so we ask for it because we are in the presence of our King, and we are confident that He will hear us and answer us.

Now, one of the ten lepers, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. This healed Samaritan saw that the liturgy wasn’t over yet! He went back and performed three acts of worship: He glorified God—singing praise to God. He bowed down before Jesus—he worshiped Him. And he gave thanks to Jesus—he recognized Jesus as the Giver of the gift.

And this gift from Jesus turned out to be even more than a simple healing. Jesus tells the Samaritan, “Your faith has saved you.” This man, although he was not a true and good child of Israel, he had faith in Jesus for his salvation. And his worship demonstrated his faith. He went back to the One who saved him. He knew whom he should give thanks to. It wasn’t necessary for him to go all the way to the Temple and the priests in Jerusalem. He had the true Temple—God in the flesh—right there in front of him. He had the true High Priest—the one who would offer Himself as the sacrifice for all sins. All that was left for this man to do was glorify, praise, bless, and thank this Savior.

Our liturgy also teaches us to follow the example of that faithful Samaritan, and so we go from a prayer for mercy to a song of glory. First, we sing the Kyrie—Lord, have mercy. And then, confident in our Lord’s merciful answer, we glorify Him and give Him thanks. Glory be to God on high! We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee, for Thy great glory.

One of the things our liturgy does is it teaches us that we are in these Bible stories. They are not made-up, they are not just moral lessons, and they are not just historical documents about people long ago. One of the reasons our liturgy has stood the test of time for so long is that it teaches us that the Bible is about you, it’s for you—it’s your story. The liturgy puts us in the story, in the place of these real, historical people and events. So, we sing the Psalms with King David. Like blind Bartimaeus, the Canaanite woman, and these ten lepers, we cry out, Lord, have mercy. We sing Glory be to God on high with the angels at Bethlehem. With Zechariah, we sing Blessed be the Lord God of Israel. Our souls magnify the Lord with the Mother Mary. With the seraphim around God’s throne, we sing Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Sabaoth. We shout Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, to greet our coming King with the Palm Sunday crowd. With John the Baptist, we behold Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. And we sing of the Lord’s peace as we depart with old Simeon. You are part of the one whole Church throughout all the ages. You have the same sins. And you have the same Savior. So, we sing the same songs.

Jesus, our merciful Lord, is just as present with us now as He was to that Samaritan. We have Jesus—God in the flesh—right here in front of us, with His Word and Sacraments, giving us His mercy and forgiveness, His Spirit and peace, His life and salvation. Why would we want to go anywhere else?

This then is the point of worship. Worship is not so we can pay God back for what He has given us (as if we could). It is not because He needs our thanks and praise. But we worship God in order to be with Him. Like that one Samaritan, we come back to the merciful Lord. We come back to Jesus and stay with Jesus, glorifying and thanking Him. And we get more from Jesus. And that isn’t selfish—it’s what God wants us to do.

One of the traditional prayers to pray before receiving the Lord’s Supper is taken from Psalm 116. We ask the question, What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? What can I possibly do for the Lord in exchange for all that He has done for me? The answer: I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. There’s really only one thing you can do: receive more of the good gifts that He wants to give you. Like that one Samaritan we want to be with Jesus, the One who has mercy and gives it to us.

Our liturgy repeats the Samaritan’s pattern of prayer for mercy and song of glory. We do it first with the Kyrie and the Gloria in Excelsis. But then we do it again, even more so, around the Sacrament of the Altar. In the Agnus Dei we lift up our voices to Jesus, praying for mercy: O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. And He gives His mercy to us, with those words, that bread, that cup of wine. He gives His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. And we are saved. So we bow down like the Samaritan, at the feet of Jesus, worshiping this merciful God who is present with us in the bread and wine.

And then, once more like the Samaritan, and for the rest of the liturgy, we sing glory and thanks to God. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost… O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good. And His mercy endureth forever… We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift… Bless we the Lord. Thanks be to God.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity

Baptism of Myles Hayes Frazier

St. Luke 10:23–37

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

What must I do to inherit eternal life? 

Isn’t it obvious? You can’t DO anything to inherit. You get to inherit because of what someone else decided and did FOR you—putting you in their will. Jesus could’ve answered the lawyer’s question with a very straightforward answer, something like St. Paul would later write in Titus, chapter 3: When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying” (Titus 3:4–8).

So, how do you inherit eternal life? You have to become an heir of God. And how do you become an heir? God makes you one. He puts you in His will, so to speak. Jesus does something for you. He makes you the beneficiary of His testament. God does not save you because of any works you’ve done. You play no part in inheriting. You inherit eternal life because God baptizes you into Jesus. God gives you a new birth in the washing of baptism so that you are united with the Son of God, and so you are made an heir with the Son.

But Jesus doesn’t spell out His answer this way. Instead, He tells a story. He tells a story about a man who is helpless, a man who has nothing, can do nothing—he’s as good as dead. But this helpless man was picked up, rescued, healed, cared for. In a way, he was resurrected to a new life. Why does Jesus tell this story? Why doesn’t He just give a straightforward answer? Because He wants the lawyer, and He wants us, to learn how to see—how to see yourself in the story, and even more, see Jesus in the story.

First of all, the story cannot simply mean what so many people try to make it mean. It can’t be, “Now you go be a good Samaritan. Go be nice to everyone and then you’ll be saved.” Obviously, the story can’t mean that because it goes against the clear teaching of God’s Word which says no one is good, no can be saved by their works. Instead, we get the full meaning of the story when we learn to see Jesus rightly. 

Jesus said to His disciples, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” What did the disciples see and hear? Jesus! The promised Savior, God in the flesh, God with us, dying and rising for us. The prophets and kings of the Old Testament longed to see the Savior, but their eyes could not. He did not come in their time. They did not get to see Him teaching truth and doing miracles and laying down His life for the life of the world.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, then eyes did see Him: the promised One, Jesus Christ. Now that Jesus has appeared, we can see clearly how it is that we are able to inherit eternal life through Jesus. So, blessed are the eyes that see what you see. Blessed are the eyes and ears that see and hear Jesus in the story. He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness. We are the helpless man, the man who has nothing, can do nothing—who’s as good as dead. And until we really come to grips with that, we have no hope of being saved, because we cannot try to justify ourselves like that lawyer. We cannot prove ourselves right. Jesus is the One who saves us, who justifies us by His grace. He makes us right with God. He is the Good Samaritan, who picks us up, rescues, heals, and cares for us. He resurrects us to a new life.

And all this is why we baptize babies—helpless babies, as good as dead in the sin they are born with. This is why Myles was brought here to be baptized, not so he could do something—what could he possibly do? Not so his parents or sponsors could do something—they cannot save him. No one is saved by anything humans do. God saved Myles according to His own mercy, through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on Myles generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by God’s grace, Myles might become an heir having the hope of eternal life.

In the waters of Holy Baptism, Jesus has made Myles an heir of God. That is how you inherit eternal life. And so, Myles and all of the heavenly Father’s heirs can sing this joyful and confident song:

Death, you cannot end my gladness:

I am baptized into Christ!

When I die, I leave all sadness

To inherit paradise!

Though I lie in dust and ashes

Faith’s assurance brightly flashes:

Baptism has the strength divine

To make life immortal mine.

There is nothing worth comparing

To this life-long comfort sure!

Open-eyed my grave is staring:

Even there I’ll sleep secure.

Though my flesh awaits its raising,

Still my soul continues praising:

I am baptized into Christ;

I’m a child of paradise! 

(LSB 594:4–5)

Jesus died. His last will and testament have gone into effect. We have already received our inheritance in the forgiveness of sins. And Jesus rose and lives forever. So our inheritance is eternal. We have eternal life now. And so being heirs of eternal life now, we live in a new way.

Only as children of paradise does Jesus’ statement, “You go, and do likewise,” apply to us. Even though the story cannot only mean you have to be like the Good Samaritan, Jesus does still say to us, “You go, and do likewise.” But only heirs of God can do like the Good Samaritan—like our good, loving, kind Savior, like a good neighbor to those around us. Having been baptized, Myles and all God’s children will live out their Baptism and use their inheritance. Being forgiven by God, they forgive others. Being loved by God, they love others. They show the goodness and loving kindness of God in their words and actions. This is what all baptized heirs of eternal life now do.

They don’t do anything to inherit eternal life. But having been made heirs by our Savior, having inherited eternal life in Him, then they watch and learn from Jesus, their Savior and Good Samaritan, and do likewise.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.