Quite often when we look at the account of the healing of the 10 lepers, we think of the nine who didn’t give thanks as ungrateful. Perhaps they were. But we have to hand it to them, in this: They had known and owned their previous condition: unclean, leprous, and helpless…and when they heard that Jesus was coming, they went to the right person to cry out for help.

Leprosy was a nasty and painful wasting disease. It first attacked the skin, producing boils and scabs; turning it white and yellow. A person’s hair would fall out. Frequently, the nose and lip would be eaten away. The bones and joints would dissolve. Eventually, after long-suffering, death would occur. During that time between the diagnosis and death one would have to endure the social stigma, the isolation, and the permanent separation from society and those whom you loved, with the knowledge that you would most likely never get better.

According to the Law of Moses, if you had even the slightest symptom of leprosy, you had to be stripped and examined by the priest. If you were pronounced unclean, you were to quarantine away from the community, away from your wife or husband, children and parents and friends, and away from the temple and its sacrifices. This wasn’t like a 2 week quarantine like in 2020 with the coronavirus. This was a lifelong quarantine. Unless… what you had wasn’t leprosy but some other skin disease. If it were some other disease, it would get better, and once it was gone, you could show yourself to the priest and be welcomed back into the community.

This wasn’t the case for the ten leprous men. They had leprosy and were still quarantined outcasts, separated from their family, friends, and homes. The lives they used to live were gone. They were quarantined until death.

But they went specifically to where Jesus would be; the place of mercy. To the great high priest, the sacrifice to be, with the last of their hope. Standing at a distance, they lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:12-13).

We know this prayer. Along with the Lord’s Prayer, it’s one of the most common prayers we pray to God. This cry asking for mercy is the essence of our faith in Christ. It is a cry of desperation, in trouble, trial, illness, and tribulation. It’s a cry acknowledging the death sentence of our sin, our desperate need for salvation from God and no other. It is the cry of one who is afraid of receiving the full weight of what sin deserves: isolation and quarantining from God, from His gifts, His presence. It acknowledges that one is worthy to be cast out from the holy assembly and community, sentenced to die a horrible never ending death in hell. This prayer for mercy relies upon the grace of God in Christ Jesus. There is hope in that cry of faith. That is why the cry of prayer goes out to the Lord even this day in all our trials, troubles, and needs. We seek the Lord to cry out to God for grace and mercy, completely reliant upon Him in order to receive forgiveness from sins for the sake of Jesus.

Leprosy and the way it was treated in the Old Testament, points to that greater disease that affects us all: sin. Sin is disobeying God’s Law in your thoughts, words, and deeds. It’s deadly and incurable, without Christ. You can’t shelter-in-place or mask-up to avoid it. Every person since Adam has been infected by it when we were conceived and then it grows by our own sinful act or inaction.

Unable to remove it, we’re completely reliant upon the mercy of God for rescue, relief, and restoration. And so, we cry out with the lepers, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:12-13).

We see our dependency upon Him in all things, not just for forgiveness. We see our dependency upon Him to rule and bring order into this world, where conversation is met with violent reaction, as people celebrate any violence, murder, and cruelty, as protests wrack the country, as violence continues between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, and in other places around the globe, “Lord have mercy.”

We see our dependency upon Him as sudden storms created mudslides this week in parts of this community, as fires struck this area last year, as people wonder and worry about earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, drought, and the list could go on, “Lord have mercy.”

We see our dependency upon Him as we suffer illnesses, broken relationships, financial strains, hardship, and even death. We pray: “Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.”

In the face of their adversity, the ten lepers rightly cried out to Jesus. Their adversity taught them they couldn’t rely upon themselves. “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13).

“When He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests'” (Luke 17:14). Jesus had mercy upon these men, for as they went, they were cleansed (Luke 17:14). Yet, God’s mercy isn’t dependent upon the faithfulness of one’s cry for mercy. God is merciful because of His love in Christ Jesus. However, we see in this account how so many people respond to God’s mercy. Joy in receiving it, but ingratitude and forgetfulness regarding who granted the blessing afterwards. Despite this forgetful ingratitude, Jesus does not remove the healing.

“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?'” (Luke 17:15-18).

The nine lepers wanted mercy from God. They cried out to the God-Man Jesus for mercy in their time of need. However, once it was provided, they felt they no longer needed Jesus. In their minds, He had served His purpose, and then they forgot Him.

Does this sound familiar? It should. We see this ingratitude all the time. Sadly, we’re guilty of it too. Quite often us Christians are just like this in relation to God. We cry out to Jesus for mercy when we need Him. But once life’s troubles have passed, we easily forget Him. Our cries for mercy cease when our immediate troubles cease and we never return to thank and praise Him. And if we do, our thanksgiving is often short-lived.

To the nine, Jesus responds with a rebuke, but to the Samaritan who had returned to Jesus, who praised God with a loud voice, and threw himself at Jesus’ feet giving Him thanks, Jesus says, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19). Literally, Jesus says, “…your faith has saved you.”

Fellow redeemed, God would have you continually go to Him in faith both in your time of need and when you’re well. So that you would live by faith in God every day, knowing and rejoicing that He is merciful for Christ’s sake. As your High Priest, Jesus doesn’t stigmatize you because of your sin, He does not cast you aside when you cry out in repentance, He does not relent in His mercy, instead, He willing comes to you. He bears the leprosy of your sin and the death it brings. He’s the true High Priest who offered up His own body on the altar of the cross to pay what your sins deserve, and His death and resurrection holds within it the cure and the way to cleanse you from your sin. He’s the One acceptable sacrifice who appeased God’s wrath. Through His holy and precious blood, He paid for and covered all your sins. He restored you to fellowship with God, even as we celebrate and receive that fellowship here in the Sacrament of the Altar. Through His blood, He richly and daily provides you with all that you need to support this body and life.

Jesus and His mercy aren’t merely a means to an end. He’s your beginning and your end. He’s the Alpha and the Omega. Go continually to your High Priest Jesus. Go to where you know He promises to be: in His church where His Word and His presence is preached, heard, and given. Continually cry out to Him, “Lord have mercy.” Receive the healing which the true Priest Jesus has earned for you by His death on the cross. Fall on your knees before Him. He is present in His church, at His altar, at His font, and in His Word for the forgiveness of your sin. Go show yourself to Him who heals you of your sin. Glorify Him with a loud voice in your songs. Give thanks to Him in your prayers. Show mercy to those around you. Return to Him, receive, and give thanks.

Thanksgiving is the natural response to faith. Christians complete their prayers and cries for mercy with uplifted voices of thanksgiving. Worship attendance, presence in this community that gathers around the Word and Sacrament that is the response of grateful faith. Christians gather where Christ is. Christians go to where Jesus is to hear their Lord’s Word and to receive their Lord’s Sacrament. They come together with other repentant sinners begging for mercy, to receive that mercy, and to respond in thanksgiving.

Two weeks in a row we have heard accounts of Samaritans. Last week in the Good Samaritan and this week in the Samaritan that falls down and worships Jesus as God. Two weeks in a row we see that the divine character of Jesus is to show this mercy to all who ask. So too, Jesus has come to show His mercy, every week, every Divine Service, in the midst of every trouble, all so that you can know His love and mercy, for you to be cleansed of your sin by His blood, to live in His grace by faith until we are brought to the place of complete and total healing: eternal life in the glory of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

“No servant can serve two masters”.
That is what Jesus said to the disciples in today’s Gospel lesson. The servant will either hate the one and love the other. He will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

The example used by Jesus as a master is “mammon”, or money, the pursuit of wealth. Wealth does not have to be the only thing that seeks to master us men and women. There are other interests that fight for our attention, our devotion, love, and worship. It could be family, our jobs, sporting activities. It could be pornography, alcohol, or legal marijuana. It could be social media, other forms of entertainment. It doesn’t matter what it is, if it becomes a priority above and beyond your faith, your witness, and your time with God and His Word, it/they/whatever has become your master over and above God.

For example, if you are afraid to rebuke someone in sin because you cherish their opinion of you more than the love of them and the love of God and the hope that they may repent, then that person and your pride, has become more important than God and His Word. If you are more willing to spend family time on a Sunday morning at home rather than bring that same family to the truth and treasures of God’s Word, then who are you devoted to? Who are you despising?

The passages for today are warnings against serving our selfish desires and against making friends with the world. Endearing ourselves with the world. More and more people in this country are abandoning the truth of God’s Word for their own version of God’s Word, editing out the parts that are uncomfortable for themselves or that might cause them scorn in the eyes of the world.

The steward in the Gospel lesson was using the treasures of his master to serve Himself, then when he was caught, he thought to make friends by buying off favors from those who owed his master other goods. Then, he thought they would welcome him into their homes.

What is this talking about? Well first, it is a summary of the Gospel lessons from the last three Sunday. These all speak of the role of pastors and teachers in the church. They are to be stewards of the mysteries of God. To be faithful in teaching. To be faithful in feeding the flock entrusted to them with the Word of God, with the right practice of the sacraments. But sadly, there are those wicked and false teachers who come in to twist God’s Word. They may relax parts of God’s Word, to soften God’s Word of Law or they may magnify the Law so that the Gospel is lost altogether. Perhaps they appeal only to emotion and sentiment or they despise the troubles and valid feelings of their charges. No, the false prophets appear in sheep’s clothing but inside are ravenous wolves who over the course destroy and lead astray.

So, the false prophets are like the steward in today’s text. They use God’s Word only to build themselves up, and then when the going gets hard and they are caught in misusing God’s Word, they make it worse. They try to make friends with the world. Instead of confessing their sin and admitting their failings to the master seeking mercy: they take advantage of their position one last time. They go to those who are in debt to the master and try to lessen the debt in their eyes so that they will think he is their kind of steward. So they can appreciate the favor he gave them. This is just like the false teachers of today, who seeing the winds of change in our society backtrack on a whole host of issues. The favorites of today: “so-called gay marriage” “transgender and other gender issues” in society and in the church. They will backtrack on anything, anything to make themselves seem like they are the buddy of the person they are talking to, to the community. They will back track on confirmation class instruction requirements, the liturgy, on the use of good hymns, on closed communion, on baptism. Oh, God’s Word says you are wrong? Let me take that away. No it’s ok, now, because I said so. Whatever it takes.

One who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If you make friends here on earth by giving up God and His Word, well expect to be received into their eternal dwellings. Those eternal dwellings are speaking about hell.

So what does that mean for you and for me? Well Jesus also said: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much”.

All the gifts that you and I have been given are from the Lord. Essentially, we are all called to be stewards. Stewards not entrusted with the public ministry, but stewards nonetheless. You who have been baptized are stewards of God’s Word and faith as you have been instructed and received from Him. You have been called to hand it over faithfully as much as you can to your children (who are also God’s gifts and treasures to be stewards of) but to hand over and witness to the Word of God to your brothers/sisters/classmates/family/friends/ coworkers/neighbors/fellow citizens/ all those whom you come across in your vocation. You are by God entrusted with time here on earth, with money to help build up God’s kingdom. With the beauty that surrounds us to be stewards of all things that God has given to His glory and for your good.

But have you been faithful in what you have been given? Whether it seems to be much or little. To those around you, what do you declare to be most important in the living of your life? Ah, but who of us, pastor or parishioner, who of us has been faithful in the much or the little that God has given us? None of us.

We like David in our Introit psalm for today must honestly declare:
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
We do deserve to receive the full bill of what we owe God for our debt and being poor stewards. We should be cast out into the eternal dwellings of damnation with all the world, all the idolaters, sexual immoral, and others who have and will receive God’s righteous judgment. We cannot pay God back what we owe Him.

But God in His mercy, has already prepared Your forgiveness in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the steward of God’s Grace who takes our bill which reads “condemned” and stamps “forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ crucified”. That is sign of the cross upon Your forehead and upon Your heart given you at your baptism. That Jesus Christ died for your sins, He has risen for you, taking away your sin. In baptism, He took you out of the world and has changed you and continues to change you. By the blood of Jesus Christ, you have been purged, made clean, washed, and your sins made whiter than snow. When you confess your sins and repent, you are again purged and renewed in Your baptismal grace as you hear the absolution from your pastor as from Christ himself.

Dear friends, though you have failed this week, and I have too. We are renewed. He creates a clean heart in us. By the purity of His Word, He instructs you and makes you whole by His Holy Spirit.

This world is fallen, our natures our fallen. That does not mean that all in this world is bad. It is not. Much of it is good and wonderful. But do not make it your all and your god. This world will fail. Our bodies will fail. Tragedies come upon us because of the brokenness of sin. When these happen; when you grow tired, weak, or tempted to sin or be a people pleaser, or tempted to give up hope… When the world, rejects you for speaking a language and living a life foreign to itself…. Remember God’s love and mercy for you. Repent and return to Him. He has prepared through His Son’s death and resurrection: true life, true riches. He will not fail you. He will not allow you to be tempted more than you can bear. It may feel like more than we can bear, but look to the cross. Let Christ bear your troubles for you. In the midst of trouble see hope in that same cross of Jesus through which He has conquered your sin, your spiritual enemies, to redeem you and make you His own by the forgiveness of your sins and give you eternal life.

Now receive the body given for you and your salvation, your rest and refreshment. Drink the drink of His holy blood outpoured for you to be received in faith for the forgiveness of sins, for the strengthening of your faith and the faith of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Then take this Word of Law and Gospel, of life and hope, you who have received the Holy Spirit. Take it from this place with you, with boldness and joy and be faithful by His grace to speak of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who are ever faithful to exhort you, forgive you, to comfort you, to feed you until you are brought safely to the heavenly eternal dwelling that He has prepared for you in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

In this morning’s Gospel lesson, Jesus said: “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'”

What does that mean that those condemned prophesied in the Lord’s name? It means that they, these false prophets and teachers spoke as though they were speaking, preaching, and teaching with the authority of God and His Word. But they did not.

God is very protective of His name. Why? but for the sake of His people who have had God’s name placed upon them. That is the fuller meaning of the 2nd commandment which says “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.”

The key here is “deceiving in His name”. Holy Scripture is very clear and Martin Luther echoes in the Large catechism: the greatest abuse [of this 2nd commandment regarding the Lord’s name] occurs when false preachers rise up and offer their lying words as God’s Word. This is the greatest sin that can be outwardly committed.”

All three of the texts this morning echo this statement. God will not spare his wrath upon those wolves in sheep’s clothing/or pastor’s albs and suits who play the role of the devil while declaring to work, preach, and teach in God’s name. This blasphemy shows its fruit when pastors, theologians, and others affirm people in their sin, and do not rebuke it. Instead, they want to be everyone’s buddy, they like getting more people in attendance, getting those slaps on the back by giving people whatever their itching ears want to hear.

Do you want some examples of lawlessness? You don’t even have to look very far, for even in our own denomination, you can find pastors who will gladly affirm and marry people who are living together before marriage, who will merrily commune people who are from other denominations unconcerned for the judgement upon that person’s spiritual well being or the unity of confession that should exist in a congregation or a synod. By communing them, he is saying that false teaching, false understandings are ok. They will gladly take anyone as members without ensuring that the people have been taught what the Bible teaches and that they hold to the truths of Holy Scripture as they are confessed in our creeds and symbols in accordance with good and faithful practices in worship and in personal lives. They use methods, language and preaching that ape the world, that do not call out sin and warn of damnation outside of faith in Jesus Christ.

All over the world, Christian churches, denominations, clergy, and laity alike are tottering and reeling because of the tolerance of false teaching. The tolerance of false teaching is actually the affirming of false teaching. It is declaring that false teaching and practice is correct. And false teaching is never tolerant of right and true teaching and practice; why? because the truth is an ever present reminder that that falsehood is false. It doesn’t matter the topic whether it is Greed, coveting, sexual aberrations of any kind, hatred, rebelliousness against parents or rightful law and order, or open communion , or some other unfaithful churchly practice or doctrine, it is all ultimately a sin against God as well the neighbor.

The human flesh is by nature at war against God’s law, always wanting its own way, and when a pastor, prophet, or teacher within the church ignores a sin that is happening or speaks an affirmation, they are guilty of the greater sin, because they are using God’s name in vain and embracing unfaithfulness. They may make allowances using the excuse of mercy or love, but it is not merciful or loving to allow a person to spiritually kill themselves.

For every sin is a spiritual suicide, killing faith and encouraging destruction and damnation. Unrepentant sin is as if a person removes themself from the umbrella of faith in God through Jesus Christ, into the acid rain of faith in themselves and their own understanding and desires. Then they are left only with their sins and judgement rather than forgiveness and mercy. Only a hireling and wolf cares more about being popular than the spiritual well being of those around him. As Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Yet, as this problem of faithlessness seems to be growing worse in our churches, country and around the world, look to the OT lesson and see that this is nothing new. Sadly, the situation was much the same in Judah around 620 BC. Jeremiah was one of the few faithful prophets left. He was charged with proclaiming the Truth, the difficult truth of God’s judgement upon the Israelites for their faithlessness, but especially against the false prophets.

The whole reason God’s anger was kindled against the false prophets and priests in Jeremiah’s time was because they were giving false comfort and assurance in His name. They were telling their Israelite brothers and sisters the lies they wanted to hear, confirming them in their sin and then telling them that those lies were God’s Truth. They weren’t doing this out of a great sense of evil hatred for God. They weren’t commanding the people to reject Yahweh and instead worship Baal or any other false god. Nope. They might have claimed to love Yahweh. But they loved something more, the approval of the people. They just didn’t want to offend anyone. They didn’t want anyone to be upset or unhappy. They wanted to be liked and praised by their fellow man. Rather than let God do the talking and call sin what it actually is—SIN—these false men were scratching the people’s itching ears and standing in the place of God while speaking lies. Rather than call the sinner to repentance, they were telling the sinner, “Don’t worry. All is well. Everyone is doing it nowadays. No disaster will come upon you. It’s different in your case. God understands. Follow your heart. As long as you’re happy, that’s all God really cares about.” Though you despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; though you stubbornly follow your own heart, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.'”

But what did the Lord say to them?

“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth? I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name. If they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.

Now Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart.

What was the intent of God’s heart? Not total destruction and condemnation. But the same thing that He wishes for you and me. To turn back from evil, sin, and lawlessness: to repentance and contrition. That we would turn from our sin and see that we deserve God’s wrath, we deserve all the bad that could and does happen on this earth, but we also deserve eternal punishment in hell. He does not want us to despair, but hope: hope in Him for the sake of Jesus Christ.

He desires that we would remember His name and use God’s name the way it is to be used: To call upon Him in the day of trouble. The Lord is not a God far off. He is near. So near and so loving that He came to earth to save us from our sins. To rescue us for His name’s sake. Yahweh, I AM. Emmanuel: God with us. Even the name “Jesus” means salvation. And so He does. Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins and rose again to show the power of God’s name over death, and the chaos of sin and the lawlessness of our flesh and the devil.

He placed His name on us when we were baptized and when we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness in Christ’s name, we are reconciled to Him. We are renewed in His grace, freed from sin and the curse of the law. But we are not freed to do as WE please. We are not to search after those false teachers who would encourage us to forsake God’s Word and go the way of the world or our flesh which is the way of death. No, we are freed to live in the strength of God’s Word. To become strong in Him. Strong in Christ. Ready to recognize the signs of false teaching and prophets in our own hearts and minds, and around us. Eagerly studying God’s Word in Bible Class, in the devotionals that we hand out, and in attending to God’s Word here where it is proclaimed to our ears in preaching, and also for our bodies, as we receive the very body and blood of God’s presence in Jesus Christ. There is no other god who desires to dwell with, uplift, and fight for His people. There is no other god who knows the difficulty of temptation yet shows us the way of life, of hope, of faithfulness by the truth of His love revealed in Law and Gospel. Who by it with one hand guides us, and the other shields us. He redeems us and gives us even more than we deserve or can imagine: even eternal life in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in whose name we can pray, praise, and give thanks. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

We heard in our Gospel lesson today that the mass of over 4,000 people ate the miraculous meal of fish and loaves and were satisfied. This word “satisfied” (kortadzo in the Greek), can have multiple meanings. That word carries with it the meaning of being stuffed, gorged, well filled in being satisfied. In the context of this particular lesson, all these are correct. The masses of people were filled up with an abundance of fish and bread and more, so much so that there were seven baskets left over even after they had their fill. They all had full bellies. Their hunger was satisfied. They obviously enjoyed their divinely-provided meal. It must have been very delicious as well! To say that they were satisfied with their meal is an understatement. And, of course, they were satisfied by the one serving them, Jesus Christ. They were the passive recipients of His undeserved gifts of satisfying mercy and love. They didn’t satisfy themselves. They were satisfied by Him out of His great compassion, mercy, love, and grace.

As true as all this satisfaction was for those particular people in that particular miraculous context, can the same be said for you in your “normal, every-day” context? Do you feel satisfied? Before you answer, think about the many and various ways that your Lord does provide and satisfy you in your daily life. Just think about all the daily bread your Lord blesses you and satisfies you with, even when you don’t ask; even after you fail to say “thank you.”
Think back to your catechism study. “What is daily bread? Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and need of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friend, faithful neighbors, and the like.” “And the like…,” just in case you think something was left out.

Everything you have and everything you are is a gift given you by God’s free and undeserved grace. The only thing you actually deserve; the only thing you have earned… is present and eternal punishment because of your sin. “The wages of sin is death”. “whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” That’s it! That’s your one and only right! You have a right to eternal death as our first father Adam was warned: “On the day you eat of it [the tree of knowledge of good and evil] you shall surely die”! God owes us nothing but the wages of sin, yet He loves you, me, and even unbelievers and provides for our and their body and life and more. Everything we receive for our bodies is a gracious and merciful gift of God and you receive it, it is specifically for you, given specifically to you by Him because of His compassion for you; because He loves you. And He has provided to give you even more in terms of forgiveness, life, and salvation in Jesus Christ.

So…how many of you are satisfied with your daily bread? Based on the fruits we see borne out in our culture today, the number of people satisfied with their daily bread can’t be many. Just look around you. It is socially-acceptable to covet. Politicians run on a platform of coveting, promising that they will fight for your “right” to have whatever it is you think you’re entitled to; whatever it is that will give you the satisfaction you so desire. They will satisfy your wants and desires. And people praise and endorse and rally around such selfish and self-serving covetousness. It seems that no one is happy with the daily bread God provides them. We want more. We want what the other guy has. It’s not fair! To quote the Israelites, “We have no manna, and we hate the manna we have!”

And keep in mind, I know you can all think of people who fit this bill, but what about the person staring back at you from the mirror? Are you truly satisfied with the gracious and undeserved gift that is “daily bread”? Are you thankful for all that God richly and daily provides for your body and life? Is God’s daily bread satisfaction for you adequate, more than adequate, or, in your estimate, is it still lacking? “I’m satisfied, but I could always be more satisfied.” I’ve got news for you. If that’s your mindset, you’re not truly satisfied. God knows the truth.

And here’s the thing: I can’t make you satisfied with your daily bread. I can’t even make myself perfectly satisfied with my daily bread. We should be. God tells me I am satisfied with all that I need for this body and life, and He richly and daily provides it. Unfortunately, our old greedy, sinful Adam works overtime to try to make us never truly satisfied with God’s satisfying gifts. Our flesh always wants just a little bit more. Like Adam and Eve, we’re not content with knowledge of God’s good alone. Since the fall we never feel fully satiated or filled up because of the purity that was lost. An inner-tapeworm of sinfulness tells us that we are starving for more and more stuff that will never truly satisfy; stuff that only rots and rusts away and is destroyed by moths and worms and stolen by thieves. The end of all that “stuff,” like St. Paul says, is death. None of it gives life—true life; life everlasting. None of it can truly satisfy. And yet…in our sinful selfishness, almost like an addict, we want more. If a little won’t satisfy, maybe more will satisfy. It never does. It never will. If you’re honest, we will confess this sinful dissatisfaction.

But God sometimes has to wake us up to understand the only thing that can bring satisfaction. By bringing us to the point of despair in the things of this world. By opening our eyes to see the man or woman in the mirror and what our sins deserve and more.

Then we remember God’s love for us. How it is much more than we deserve. In the same way Jesus had compassion on the people in today’s Gospel lesson, in the same way that God did not destroy Adam and Eve after they fell, God provides for our salvation: from ourselves, from the slavery of disobedience, from these bodies of death, by the body of life in Jesus Christ. In Holy Baptism and in continual repentance we are severed once more from the heritage of death and redeemed by the body of Jesus Christ who was sacrificed for you and me. He fulfilled the Law and in His crucifixion fulfilled the curse of God’s judgement that we deserved. In Baptism and again in Absolution, He freed and frees us to become His own, to be changed from a body enslaved to lawlessness and death according to His righteousness by faith. Paul uses a play on of words in the Epistle lesson by saying that we, in Christ, are able to present ourselves as slaves of righteousness leading to sanctification and life.

Because we have been baptized into Christ, we have put on Christ, including His righteousness. It is foolish to go back to way of death. BE changed. Stop fighting the work of the Holy Spirit, stop entertaining the spirit of this world and our fallen nature. Be still and know that He is God, and instead of lawlessness and a body of death, by faith in Jesus Christ, by delighting in His free gift of salvation, by the forgiveness of our sins, by looking at the cross and the empty tomb, by remembering that in all things we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us, we can be satisfied in the eternal life giving body of Jesus Christ. We can recognize how good it is to be fed by the good food of God’s Word and sacrament. In the Sacrament of the Altar, Jesus gives us an even better, more satisfying, filling to overflowing, delicious, food than was given to the 4000. This meal brings forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation by the very crucified and raised body and blood of your Savior. Think about how amazing a gift that is. This what you truly need for your own body and its eternal life. You need Christ, so receive Him in joy. Be filled with your ears, and with your mouths, so that the emptiness that remains from the fall may be filled by God’s good gifts and grace and His Spirit. Know by His blessing how good it is to live by His Spirit and do good to our neighbor, to live Holy lives as His people, freed from the lusts and desires that would entrap us once more to the cycle of death and dissatisfaction.

I can’t make you satisfied, nor can you…but God can. In fact, He already has and does in Christ. When you leave here with the Body and Blood of Christ in your belly and on your breath, with remembrance of Baptism and to whom you belong, what more do you have to fear or worry about? You have been satisfied in Christ, by Christ.

When this Bread of Life satisfaction truly satisfies you, which through the working of the Holy Spirit will be the case through faith, all His satisfying gifts of daily bread will also begin to satisfy you. You will be satisfied with a fully-satisfying peace that surpasses all human understanding, no matter your circumstance; in good times and in bad, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Satisfied by Christ and in Christ, you will ever and always be satisfied, giving thanks in all circumstances for all that you have and all that you are in the all-satisfying name of Christ Jesus, AMEN.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Today’s appointed texts are united in their concern for God’s Law and righteousness. The Old Testament reading is the giving of the 10 commandments, St. Paul in Romans 6, says “we cannot continue in sin so that grace may abound. If we have died to sin how can we still live in it?” Then the Gospel lesson is from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. He said that He came not to abolish the Law. In fact, He said, “whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. That “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” That murder is not just the act of killing, but “That everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” The Greek isn’t judgement but Gehenna, or the place of judgment, in other words: what we would call: Hell. Hell and its fire is also the sentence for a heated word and insult, for impatience and grudges. Ultimately when you sin against your brother or sister, or are unwilling to forgive them: you are sinning against God.

Yet we live in a culture that pooh-poohs this threat. Our culture has fully embraced the full evil of our sinful impulses. Civility and decorum are out of step with the “put everyone on blast” mindset. If somebody irritates us, it seems to be ok to “let them have it,” online or in person. Therefore, we give them a piece of our mind, with both barrels even. We don’t couch our words, nor do we try to understand the other person’s perspective. Whether it is important or not, we feel that there is no reason to “hold back”. This attitude is wrong. Because even if we are in the right, even if it’s important, no especially, if it is important, there should be a spirit of love and gentleness, wanting the other person’s good in approaching our brother or sister.

But we get caught up in our selfish emotions; we try to justify ourselves and defend ourselves by attacking the other. When someone has wronged us, perhaps we do seem to forgive, but then harbor resentment while keeping score, hoping to get even.

Then consider when we have done something wrong and are guilty of a sin, how our impulse is to react even should someone reproach us even in the most loving and well-meaning manner. The spirit of this age and our sinful nature refuses to be reproached. Refuses to admit a sin. Our pride will not allow it. Perhaps, we feel somewhat guilty for our sins, but who is anyone else to point it out? Therefore, we may adopt a “who am I to judge (because I don’t want to be judged)?” Because we are afraid that someone will point out our sins, we relax one point of the Law here or there for them or us. “That teaching isn’t so important, is it? Why do we have to follow that? The culture has changed. It will make people feel bad or uncomfortable.” Then another, then another. Soon none of God’s Law is worthy of being kept in our minds, except maybe our self made “law” of “mind your own business… but then again maybe I will mind yours too”.

The Law of God is not meant to be comfortable, yet Scripture describes it as good and wise. The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The precepts of the Lord are right; rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

How is that so? Well, even as the Law with God’s “Thou shalt, and Thou shalt nots”, it does what God has set its purpose to do. The Law should instill fear of punishment for breaking the Law: that breaking the Law has consequences that which we sometimes call the first use of the Law. Because of that same use: the threat, it leads us to the second use which we often refer to as the mirror. This shows us as we are. That we are sinners. We have not kept the Law in thought, word, or deed. We have not loved God with our whole heart and we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves and so we recognize that we deserve God’s wrath and just punishment.

This leads to repentance: repentance which is hope for forgiveness. Not the “I’m sorry if I offended you” or I’m sorry with a shrug. This is a “I have no excuse, Oh Lord. I have failed you, I have failed everyone who is my neighbor: my wife, my husband, my parents, my children, brother, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend, fellow congregation member, boss, employee, the person I cut off on the highway or raged against. No excuse.”

We do deserve the fire of hell, and repentance is admitting it before the Lord, but repentance already includes faith. With repentance, as I said, there is hope. Hope outside ourselves. There is hope because Christ did not come to remove the Law but to fulfill the Law. He came to fulfill the Law and showed what love for our brother and sister consists of: sacrifice, forgiveness, and truth, patience, kindness, and understanding. Jesus said “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

This righteousness is not of yourself or me or by trying to fulfill the Law out of fear or pride. This righteousness that exceeds all others is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He who fulfilled the Law perfectly for sinful men and women. He took that sin to the cross to receive in Himself the fire of God’s judgement and wrath upon His most holy and perfect flesh. This is the power of the Law, to awaken within us, the realization of the power, the wisdom, the mercy of God, and the greatness of our sin and our need for a Savior which has now been fulfilled and revealed in the Gospel, the Good News gift of God’s triumph over our sin in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son.

Faith sees this. Faith awakens to it and responds to it in joy. For in faith we see that by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we are saved and forgiven of our sins. We come to the understanding and knowledge that this righteousness has been given and worked into us as a free gift. That as you were baptized you were baptized into Jesus Christ: into His death, buried with Him, your sins have now been put to death. Buried with Him. Now you have had faith placed and planted into your hearts which is the start of the resurrection which you receive now in Christ Jesus and is your hope for eternity. You are marked by the blood shed at His cross. Marked for salvation. Marked for the resurrection from the dead. Death, and sin, no longer has dominion, that is, it no longer has rule over you! By faith you are dead to sin. So, don’t go back to your sins. Don’t become a slave again to them. Don’t become numb to them. Don’t excuse yourself.

Also, don’t think that you can never or will never sin again. Or that life here will now be easier for the sake of Christ. There is no such promise.

But this is the beauty now of the Law seen through the cross. The Law is now that which the Holy Spirit continues to teach into our hearts, minds, and lives by His Word of Wisdom in Scripture, as we now long to study it, hear it, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it. Through it the Holy Spirit feeds us and makes us wise. He instructs and guides our every deed so that the fruit of faith is lived out. That we live in repentance, hope and joy. When we sin, we fear not God’s wrath directly, but that we have abused His Grace. Then by the Word of God we hunger to receive the strengthening of faith and forgiveness of sins in the very Word made flesh in the bread and wine. By faith, we begin to understand that there is no “small doctrine”. But all of God’s teachings and Laws are for our good as it leads us again to repentance and faith: to the love of God shown at the cross, so that we, in turn, can love our neighbor.

You have sinned against God, but you have been reconciled to God the Father by the Son, Jesus Christ. If you have been forgiven, then faith compels you to be reconciled to your brother or sister. If you refuse, where is your faith? If you say a nasty word, but do not repent of it: where is the fruit of faith? No let us ever be aware of our thoughts, words, and actions, and when we fail: repent again. Praying and asking for the mind of Christ. Repent to the ones you have wronged. Be open to correction. There is yet time but no time to waste.

Then remembering the cross, hearing His absolution, God’s promise to us at our baptism, we move forward together: brothers and sisters in Christ. Exhorting, encouraging, humbling ourselves, doing all things in love and the peace and calm that only the Holy Spirit can give in God’s grace. We live this life of hope forgiven of our sin, united in the newness of life in salvation that Christ has won for us at the cross. Fellow believers reconciled together in the righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of any Scribe or Pharisee: the righteousness of Christ.

A we sang in our introit: the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. You are now clean in Christ, you have heard the Truth of His Word, you are righteous for Christ’s sake. Be encouraged and rejoice. These words of God are sweeter than honey, more desirable than gold. And they are yours by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ your Rock and your Redeemer. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

These are true statements: From our epistle lesson today; “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” Or from Isaiah, Job, and elsewhere from St. Paul: “who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?”

Even though mankind glories in his own wisdom. Whether it be in so-called scientific breakthroughs, or social upheaval and change where everyone is clamoring to “be on the right side of history”, or people glory in the triumph of monuments and heroic accomplishments.

For example, this past week was the anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 mission to the moon and 56 years ago this very evening at 7:56 local time, Neil Armstrong took his first step upon the surface of the moon. Yet, as awesome an accomplishment as that was, and as we may ponder the enormous effort it took to put together after years of experimentation, training, teams of military and civilians working together, as awesome as all that was: it is good to remember to ask: who made the moon in the first place? Who established it in the sky, who set it at an ideal distance from earth? Or the sun, or all the stars, and continues to make them travel a very predictable path? Who created the myriad numbers of galaxies? Let us marvel at Him. For indeed going to the moon was truly only a small step in the grand scope of the universe.

There is order and form in creation, not chaos as a whole. Yet within it, is evidence of the “foolishness of God” that defies even “science” and its limited hypotheses. In nature, we can look at the bumble bees and see that scientifically, aerodynamically, they have no business being able to fly… yet they do.

God made the duck-billed platypus which defies even the reason of the evolutionists. As it has properties of both a bird and a mammal, and it even has a venomous spur. Why? Why did God create them to become what they are? Why did He create those stars and innumerable planets and galaxies? Why did He create so many varieties of sea creatures, plants, and animals on this small planet?

So that we can marvel at His creativity, for one thing. To show that our God does not always do what we humans expect Him to do. To show that what we think is wise or practical is not always truly wise nor practical: that what we think is God’s foolishness is more wise than the wisdom of any man or woman of any age, and His knowledge, creativity, and power go well beyond our comprehension and His grace abounds even beyond our need.

We heard it at work in our Gospel lesson this morning. Simon and the other fisherman had been out all night and hadn’t caught any fish, yet after preaching, Jesus told them to “go out and let down their nets for a catch.”

This seemed like utter nonsense to Peter: wrong time of day, wrong part of the Lake, we already tried that…whatever. Simon gives his weak protest, but He does it anyway. Why does he?

Maybe he thought: let’s just humor him and let him see for himself, or maybe he did it because he wanted to show Jesus what a good disciple he could be, or perhaps, he had faith in Jesus. After all, Jesus had just gotten done teaching the people while in the boat with the fishermen.

Whatever the case, it seemed like foolishness, and yet, what happened? A catch of fish so large, so massive, that it was more than the nets could bear, the nets were breaking, the boats filled, and the boats began to sink under the weight of fish.

Then Simon fell down and said: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
“The foolishness of God is wiser than men.” Jesus could have said, “told you so”. He does chastise the disciples for unbelief later in His ministry, but not here. Instead He comforted them and said: “Do not be afraid”.

Have you ever thought: “if only I could be God for a moment, I would do this or that?” Then again maybe after that thought, you realized what you just said and follow up with, “maybe it’s a good thing I am not God”.
Yes, it is a good thing that God is not like you or me. If He were, He would constantly be changing His mind based on His mood. Or He would just not care what anyone does or what happens to anyone else because He would be too busy enjoying Himself. Or He would burn with His wrath and destroy everybody, again, and again.
That’s quite often how we live our lives. That is why the cross is such a stumbling block, a scandal to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles.

To the Jews, meaning to those like the Pharisees or anyone who thinks that they can be justified before God by their works of the Law, the cross is a scandal. No, God, but I should be saved by my works. If God sent His Son to die for sin, that isn’t fair because I don’t have any sin, or at least I don’t have as many sins as that person or that person, and so on. Or surely, “I can contribute something”, we think, or “I can take credit for something”.
No, the reality is that according to the Law, we have all sinned. We are all like fish stuck in the sea, unwilling and unable to get into the boat of the Church unless we are compelled and lifted up by an outside force. What we deserve according to the Law is damnation and destruction. But God lowers Himself to where we are, and gives up Himself at the cross. Dying for our sin, to save sinners who are unworthy according to the Law to be saved.

To the Greeks or all those who would live by the philosophies of this world, the cross doesn’t make any sense for that very reason. Why would God, if He were God, want to be a human, and why does He care so much, doesn’t He have something better to do than suffer and die? Or if He did die for my sin, and He is “loving” why not do whatever I want and never be changed?
These thoughts betray the fact that we cannot, no human can fathom, can understand the great love of God. He desires not our eternal destruction by fire and brimstone, but He also desires not our mortal destruction by selfish wastefulness, by bitterness, wrath, apathy, and anarchy in this life.

When we fully understand the greatness of God in His awesome power: When we truly survey the wondrous cross: When we truly gaze upon Jesus Christ dying upon the cross for us, that God would love us so much, we truly scarce can take it in. And we declare our unworthiness with Simon, but in hope we cling to the cross repentant and sorrowful. And so repent, and fall on your knees before Christ.
But Jesus then answers that hope, stills your fear and says “Do not be afraid”. Even if you cannot fully understand it, Jesus Christ died for your sins. Though you may think that you are unworthy or unable to be changed and forgiven, through the Ministry of His Word and Sacraments your weakness is replaced with His strength: the foolishness of your sin and mine is replaced with the Wisdom of His Word. The Holy Spirit uses His Word this day even as He did at your baptism as a net, to draw you out, to bring you into the boat of the Church and give you life by faith in Him. He forgives your sins. Do not be afraid.

Instead, glory in His cross. Receive the gifts which come from His cross this day in His body and blood. This is Christ coming and giving you the power of God and the wisdom of God in Himself under the forms of bread and wine. This is God doing the unthinkable, that which defies reason but can only be received rightly by faith for forgiveness and life.

Then by His Grace you are awestruck as Peter was. As you grow in faith and amazement at the gift of His grace at the mystery of God joining Himself to human flesh to save you and me, sinners, you will desire to study His Word and receive more and more His gifts. By His Holy Spirit, you realize more and more His love for you and your neighbor. And then you do not give up on casting out the Word and speaking to your neighbor, loving them, serving them. You do not know what God is working in them through you or in you. In life you may not understand what God has in store for you or is doing right now. But in everything and at every time, in joy or sorrow, trial or need remember that we cannot know the mind of God or how He is working. Know, however, that He desires your good and your salvation. That He can and will use you in your weakness and in His strength. Turn then in prayer and faith, use every opportunity as an opportunity to grow in Christ. Come to the cross again, receive from Him forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation as He comes to you in His Word and His body and blood. You are never left forsaken. His still small voice thunders from the cross, “Father, forgive them”. And now to you: Do not be afraid. Your Father has designed for your salvation, He has caught you by His grace in Christ Jesus, and He will hold you and keep you for eternal life by the unbreakable net of His proclaimed Word of Jesus Christ crucified and raised for you. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Today’s lessons are all about the mercy of God. I know it is very easy to focus only upon the part about not judging. Sadly, that’s about all the world today tends to hear. It is one quotation from Scripture that is so often repeated out of context even those who have never heard other Scripture are able cite “Don’t judge”. What’s truly sad is that the way this little line is so often cited is wrong. Jesus was not saying “Don’t ever judge anyone”! The phrase “Judge not” can only be rightly understood because of the previous line: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” That’s the whole key to understanding and making sense of this text; or of the Christian faith, for that matter. “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

Today’s Old Testament lesson is an example of what this mercy looks like in practice. If you thought your family had problems, look at Joseph’s! His brothers had sold him into slavery because they were so jealous and hateful. But years later they needed help that only Joseph could provide. God had brought Joseph to a position of power in Egypt. When his brothers first arrived: Joseph had his change for vengeance: to get even. But he didn’t. He eventually revealed himself to his brothers and had them bring their father Jacob and all their family and animals to live in the fertile Delta of Egypt. At the time of the OT text today, however, Jacob, their father, had died. His brothers feared that Joseph’s mercy was only temporary for the sake of their father. And honestly, they should have been scared after all they did to him.

Yet, Joseph doesn’t do what they expected him to do. He doesn’t do what we would probably do. Joseph shows mercy to these very undeserving men. And it was not because of their “made up” deathbed message from Jacob.

He said: “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.”

So why does Joseph show mercy to such undeserving wicked people? Why does Joseph not give them what they so justly deserve? Because Joseph knew his own standing before his God and Father. Joseph knew his own reality; his own sin; his own evil nature and deeds. He knew what he justly deserved, yet His heavenly Father was merciful to him: not because he deserved mercy or because he had suffered at the hands of his brothers; but he received mercy from God solely because of who his heavenly Father is. If God showed Joseph mercy, then Joseph knew that he had no business putting himself in the place of God and not show that same mercy to his sinful brothers. After all, God was sending the Messiah to make atonement for their sins too. 

Now, Joseph doesn’t let the evil of his brothers go unnoticed. He loves his brothers enough to speak the truth. “What you did was evil, and you meant it for evil. You can try and dress it up or excuse it all you want. It was evil, and that’s exactly what you meant it for when you did it. However, our God and Father permitted this evil to happen so that He could work good and provide for many people today, which He has.”

How’s that for faith?! Joseph has no intention of bringing about justly-deserved retribution because Joseph recognizes God’s good and merciful hand in these events…even in/through his own suffering. “Do not fear. I am not in the place of God.”

What about us? What do we deserve from God? When we speak against each other? When we refuse to forgive or be merciful to our neighbor? When we create issues because of jealousy and then justify ourselves? When we hold others more accountable and judge them for the same sins that we are guilty of? We deserve God’s vengeance and judgment.

But what does He do? He sent His only-begotten Son to perfectly fulfill the Law in our place—the perfect Law of God that we cannot and do not fulfill—suffering our justly-deserved punishment and death on the cross. He sent His only-begotten Son die and to be resurrected on the third day in order to gain eternal life for us. He was merciful to us; merciful to us through Christ and because of Christ. 

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” This same mercy that God has so unconditionally shown to us must be reflected in our lives. Yes, I said “MUST.” I know that sounds very law-oriented, but it’s not. I’m not saying that you must to do your part in order to be saved. No! But to not show mercy is to not be of the Father or the Son or the Holy Spirit. To refuse to show mercy, to refuse to forgive, is not Christian. When the world sees you or hears you, they should see and hear Christ. Do they? As a redeemed child of God—a child of mercy—when someone does wrong against us, our will and desire MUST be to forgive them, and if possible, restore a good relationship between them and us. This does NOT mean that we shouldn’t call sin “sin.”

We MUST treat others with kindness, humility, love and mercy (just like the Father treats us), as we must also declare the Truth of God’s Word. That’s true love…the love of the Father which seeks repentance in order to show forgiveness.

This proclamation and confession of God’s holy Truth—full Law and full Gospel—is all part of Christian love. It’s love in action; God’s love in action, in us and through us to each other and to our neighbor. I know our culture disagrees, but it is our God-given baptismal responsibility to in humility confront others with their sins, not to condemn them and send them to hell, but to call them to repentance and salvation. If your friend is heading towards a cliff, in love, do you let them fall or do you call out so they change course? If you see a child wandering towards a busy street, what would love do? To not do or say anything? We don’t want to seem to judge, do we? We are called to call a sin a sin! Judge the sin! Love warns of the danger! Well…the same goes for when a loved one or even a complete stranger whom Christ loved enough to die for walks in sin. Love says to that person, “You are in danger. Turn around. Return to the Way of the Lord.”

We must not be hypocritical in these cases. The Lord says, “First remove the log from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye. The blind can’t lead the blind.” The meaning is clear. We should not apply to others expectations that we do not apply to ourselves. How often, though, we’re quick to drop the righteous hammer of God’s wrath upon someone for committing the very same sins we continue to trespass in. 

This doesn’t mean that you should say nothing if you’ve ever committed the same sins. That’s also not what our Lord is saying here. If you have made the same errors, but have repented in faith to Christ, you are forgiven. Now it is good that you don’t want people to make the same errors that you did. You and I don’t want them to have to experience the trials and tribulations we have had to experience as a result of our selfish and stupid sins.

But that’s the difference. It’s one thing to condemn sin that we are still willfully doing. It’s quite another thing to speak from experience; to speak as one who knows the darkness of that particular sin and the joy of God’s rich and undeserved mercy.

“Be merciful, just as your heavenly Father is merciful”…to you. Focus on God’s mercy and love to you. Focus on Christ crucified and raised. This is the very full revelation of God’s mercy and love for you; God’s mercy and love for you in the flesh. It was for the sake of mercy that Jesus came and received evil so that God would turn it to your good and to the good of sinful evil people whom God calls, gathers, enlightens, by His mercy giving them His righteousness and molding them by His goodness. You have been baptized into this mercy and grace and you have received the Holy Spirit and faith. You have repented and received absolution for the sake of God’s mercy in Christ. And so that you may be comforted and strengthened as believers, He continues to provide His mercy for you, His little Ones, in the Supper of Christ’s body and blood. All so that in God’s truth we as a congregation can in His mercy live in harmony with one another.

Let us go forth and live in His mercy, peace, and love overcoming the evils of this world with His good. In Jesus Christ’s name. AMEN

Pr. Aaron Kangas

In this morning’s Gospel we heard 2 of 3 parables that Jesus told in Luke 15. Between the first and second parable, Jesus said something very interesting. He said: “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

99 to 1. 99 righteous persons versus 1 sinner who repents. A very interesting ratio. Are there so many righteous people as opposed to “sinners”? What did Jesus mean? In the first parable it may seem easy enough to classify the sheep as either lost, meaning they are sinners and outside the flock, on the one hand, or they are found and already members of the flock. Quite often this parable is explained to say that the 99 sheep represent people who are members of the church already and the 1 person is a person who has left the church and so we need to reach out to them. Not a bad idea, but that is not really what Jesus is saying here. That is not really His point at all.

The point that Jesus is making is that there are NO righteous people. The context of His parables is that He is talking to the Scribes and Pharisees. They had been grumbling that Jesus would allow known sinners and tax collectors into His midst, to let them touch Him, that He would heal them, preach to them, and yes even eat with them, in public even!

If fact, this was not even the first time that the Scribes and Pharisees had sneered at Jesus for doing this. Back in Luke 5 when they had grumbled, Jesus had said: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” The point being that the Pharisees and Scribes saw themselves as NOT sinners. They were righteous and not in need of repentance. They were keepers of the Law. Overachievers, in fact, because they had added their own regulations and Laws to the Laws of the Old Testament.

Luke 15 is a section of the Gospels that clearly speaks of the need for repentance. Therefore, when Jesus said: “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” He didn’t mean that there are 99 righteous people that God doesn’t care about or celebrate because they are righteous already. This was Jesus telling the Pharisees that they could not please God with their works because there are no people who can make themselves righteous according to the Law. None are righteous, no, not one. Except, of course, the parable teller and the one being criticized, Jesus, Himself.

Sinners are in this context not just those “who fall short of the demands of the Law”. That is indeed everybody. No, the sinner over which God and the angels in heaven rejoice over are those sinners who recognize that they are sinners and in need. They cannot help themselves. They are lost. The sheep is lost. The coin is lost. Notice, the Shepherd has to come to where the lost sheep is. The woman of the house has to search where the coin has fallen. But are all the parables in Luke 15 talking about the same repentance? No, each parable tells a different aspect and preaches a further Truth from God about how repentance happens, and how God is working to make that happen so that people can be saved!

The first parable, the parable of the lost sheep is talking about the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ who is the seeker, finder, and the worker of repentance in people’s hearts. He is the Savior and Good Shepherd who comes from heaven into the world to rescue that which was lost. Jesus Christ desires people’s salvation and He goes to them, finds them, and lifts them upon His shoulders and bares them home. Just as He bares the sin of the world, the anxieties, sufferings, and punishment of all, and especially of those who believe. Taking the sin to the cross to die in our stead. To fight the Satanic lion. But Jesus does not take people against their will who reject Him, but saves those who do not resist the work of the Spirit.

How does His salvation get to us? How do we get saved exactly? How does God overcome the hardness of our hearts? Well the second parable more or less explains that. The woman of the house represents the working of God’s Word, the source of wisdom, who lights a candle in the darkness. This is the light of God’s Word. It is the Truth of God’s Law and His Gospel that shines into the darkness to cause that dark ignorance to scatter. The Holy Spirit uses His Word and Sacraments to preach Jesus Christ crucified and raised for the sins of the world. In this preaching and by this light, the Holy Spirit sweeps clean the guilt, the ignorance, the enmity and hate towards God and humanity that otherwise resides in the bosom of each man and woman. Therefore, the Holy Spirit uses the light and His sweeping to regenerate, to convert, to reveal and uncover the value of the coin, which is the sinner. To reveal to the sinner, that they are a precious person to God and His heavenly Host. In this way the sinner can repent in hope, being moved by the Holy Spirit to see God not as hateful, but as loving.

The third and final parable in Luke 15, the one that follows our Gospel reading today is the Prodigal Son. This parable describes the effect of God’s work in the heart of a sinner who is moved to repentance. They may hear the Word of God, but it may not take effect immediately, but finally, they realize they can hope in nothing else but the grace of their loving Father. That repentance is finally completed in faith: faith in God through Jesus Christ, enjoying the benefits and joyous banquet of sins forgiven, of sinners restored.

So are you of the 99 who believe they are righteous and need not God’s help? Who need no repentance? This is where the Pharisees and hedonists have so much in common. Even though One thinks that they are saved by the works of the Law and the other thinks that they can do whatever they want and are self-righteous in their sinning, both are similar. Both are hypocrites. Remember the word hypocrite literally means “actor”. Both act as though they are fine; that they are better than others in their pride and need no help. They are in fact in the same lost and broken condition. They are outside the kingdom of the true righteous. The true righteous are the repentant ones. The only path to righteousness is by humbling oneself and admitting that you are not righteous at all. By admitting that you have failed this week, this morning, even since the confession of our sins. You have not lived up to the demands of the Law and you have abused and taken for granted the Grace of God.

In our sinful and lost condition, we cry out “Lord have mercy!” Even before we have, Christ Jesus came to earth and died for your sins. The Holy Spirit who has lit the candle of God’s Word and shone the light of faith at your baptism has been hard at work in your conscience. The evidence is that He has brought you again this day to Himself. Christ has born you upon His shoulders here to confess your sins, and unburden yourself upon Him, pleading grace for the sake of Christ’s righteousness and sacrifice at the cross. Hearing then His grace and promise of forgiveness. Responding in prayer and singing. Hearing His voice in the readings, then confessing the faith that the Holy Spirit has given you in the creeds.

You dear friends are of great value to your Savior. Jesus is your Good Shepherd. He has lifted you even now upon His shoulders. He has taken your sin upon Himself. He came and died upon the cross for you. Yes, for the world, but for you. Now you are His beloved redeemed coin, sheep, and child. Rest upon Him. Trust Him and know that as you trust in Him, the threats of Satan cannot harm you. Do not let doubt oppress you, do not let the world sway you to false worship, pride, or shame. No, grasp the cross by faith and find that God is and has been grasping onto you, and therein lies your strength and hope.

He rejoices at your repentance and salvation by God’s mercy and Grace. Now also hope for change in yourself through faith in Him and by the power of His Spirit. He does not cast you off, but instead carries you: here to be refreshed in His body and blood given and shed for you: then throughout this life until He bears you to your eternal home for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

A song performed by Kenney Chesney, is entitled, “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven.” The message of the song is very simple. Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now. Even though the song has a fun and lighthearted mood, it expresses a profoundly sad truth about the state of our human nature.

The context for this morning’s Gospel was that Jesus was gathered at the house of a Pharisee on the Sabbath Day. He had healed a man with dropsy, and the people were sitting in judgment of Him for breaking the rules on the Sabbath. He then went on to teach them humility, not to seek honor from this world, but to wait for God to exalt them at His own time. In the middle of our Lord’s instruction, one guy blurted out, “Blessed is he who will eat bread in the kingdom of heaven.” The man was only half-listening to Jesus’ teaching. He just wanted to express how great it was going to be when he finally got to heaven.

That’s all fine and good to talk about the future joys and blessings of heaven. But it doesn’t do you any good if you lose sight of what is in front of you right now. The Lord God Himself was in their presence. The kingdom of heaven was in their very midst. Wisdom incarnate was teaching them right where they were gathered. Everybody wants to go to heaven eventually, but who wants to listen to the Lord of heaven right now when there are so many other things to do?

Jesus therefore responded to this pious sounding outburst by telling a parable of a man who prepared a banquet and invited many. Then later, he sent his servant out to declare that the dinner is now ready. The servant didn’t say that dinner will be ready soon. No, it’s ready now.

This talking about the time of Christ, the time of fulfillment. The Lord has come. He is right there in the midst of them already in the Gospel, calling all who labor and are burdened to find rest and peace in Him. He continues to declare to us, “All things are ready. Come and eat. Come and gain wisdom and knowledge of salvation”. Where two or three gather in His name, where His church assembles around the preaching of His gospel and the faithful administration of His sacraments, there He is in their midst.
It’s all good and pious to talk about how blessed and wonderful it will be when we go to heaven. But what about right now? Do you want rest for your soul and release from guilt and sin right now? Do you want to die to your sin and live to God right now? Do you want the body and blood of your crucified and risen Savior right now? Or do you just like the idea of going to heaven someday but not until after you have done all the things you imagine will give you peace and fulfillment in this world?

Jesus’ parable warns us against missing what is right in front of us. The people who were invited made excuses, no different than the excuses people make today. I bought a field, so I need to see it. I bought some oxen, and I need to test them out. I just got married.

The excuses pile up. Anything and everything takes priority over meeting Jesus where He promises to meet you. Work and entertainment, ambition and leisure are deemed more precious and pressing than hearing the gospel, receiving instruction in the Word of God, encouraging your fellow Christians with song and conversation, and eating the body and blood of your Savior for the nurturing of your soul. We all know this.

Many of us are concerned for our fellow Christians who can’t prioritize the gathering in the name of Jesus above their everyday affairs. But God is patient to call you and them to come into the light while it is still shining before the darkness comes. And people so easily count God’s patience as indifference. It’s concerning and discouraging.

But we should keep in mind and remind all others what this gathering is all about. Who has built this church? Who has prepared this Supper and the food of His Word? Solomon writes in Proverbs 9 that Wisdom has built her house. Wisdom has carved out her seven pillars which are the 7 fruits of the Spirit. Wisdom has butchered her meat, mixed her wine, and spread her table. Wisdom, who is portrayed as a wise lady of the house, has been revealed as the Son of God Himself. He comes like a mother hen longing to gather her chicks under her wings. He comes with tenderness and meekness, calling us to receive His words of life with humility. He is the Lord your Shepherd who has prepared a table for you with his body and blood and has anointed your head with the oil of His Spirit in your baptism. And why does He prepare this meal for you? What does Wisdom say? “If you’re untaught, turn in here . . . Leave ignorant people and begin to live; walk the road that leads to understanding.”

You see, Christ does not invite us to gather with Him just so we would make an appearance, mouth the words of the hymns that are our favorites or that we are just used to singing, and then get out in time to rush off to our field, oxen, or other festivities. No, Christ calls the ignorant to receive knowledge and insight, to receive life from His Word, to begin to understand what He says. To linger and listen. If you have made it a habit to come to church, that’s good. There’s really no better habit. But Christ doesn’t just call us to a habit. He calls us to faith. And faith is much greater than a habit. Faith is the cup, which Jesus fills and causes to overflow with his mercy and salvation. Faith exists in a broken and humble heart that can’t find anything good within itself but looks to the Lord Jesus as the only bread that endures to eternal life. Faith hungers and thirsts for the righteousness that avails before God in the wounds of Him who was sacrificed for our sins.

How can we be changed from simple to wise men and women? “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” To fear God is to care about what God’s Word says and to trust that Christ has saved us by his atoning death. We don’t always feel wise. But to recognize this is a sign of great wisdom! To know that you have a lot to learn is the beginning of wisdom. Those who think they already know enough are not wise. The Bible calls them scoffers. If you correct a scoffer then you get insulted. But if you correct a wise person then he will love you. If you give advice to a wise man then he will be even wiser. If you teach a righteous man then he will learn even more.

Because those who are wise know that they can’t find wisdom in themselves. Those who are righteous know that they can’t find righteousness in themselves. Their salvation doesn’t come from them accepting Jesus, figuring out Jesus, or inviting Jesus into their hearts. No, it comes from Jesus accepting them and inviting them. He calls them to His banquet which may seem foolish and unimportant to the World, but it is a feast, which he purchased and prepared with His own blood. By His Holy Spirit, He gives faith and gathers people to be strengthened in the knowledge of salvation. Those who are wise hunger and thirst for this wisdom that comes down from above, the wisdom revealed in the words of Scripture. Those who are wise don’t just mouth the words of the hymns and liturgy. Instead, they feast on the words. They read the words, think about them, ponder them, and learn from them. The scoffer turns church into a mere tradition of men. He doesn’t have anything to learn. He’s in a rush to accomplish what seems more important to this world. But the wise man loves the habitation of God’s house, because this is where he inquires and seeks understanding from God’s Word.

If you don’t want wisdom now, then you won’t get wisdom later. If you don’t want heaven now, then you won’t go to heaven when you die. If you don’t see how dead your sinful flesh is right now then you won’t see the life that Christ has prepared for you. If you don’t want Christ and the salvation He offers right now, then you won’t get it in the end. That is the warning our Lord gives in His parable. “I tell you,” he says, “none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.”

Wisdom is not about how much you know. Wisdom is about fearing the Lord and knowing the Holy One, Jesus Christ. It isn’t about how much you understand. It’s about receiving understanding from Christ Himself. Some people are smarter than others. Some aren’t able to comprehend much. But the first shall be last and the last first. A little child who receives instruction, learns to listen to his parents, bow his head to pray, and knows that Christ has defeated the devil and taken away our sins, is wiser than the most celebrated scholars who write dissertations explaining away the truth of the Scriptures. There is nothing you have that you did not receive from God. To know this is to know wisdom. And to trust in Christ, His kingdom, and His righteousness is to have everything you need both for today and for the day to come. As David sings in Psalm 34,

“Taste and see that the LORD is good, blessed is the man who trusts in him. Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him will lack nothing. Young lions may be in need and go hungry, but those who fear the LORD shall not lack anything good.” Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Things can get pretty hot here in Southern California. If you want it even hotter, you need only travel less than an hour away to get to Palm Springs. If you want to get to where some of the highest temperatures in the world get recorded, Death Valley is less than 4.5 hours away. There, brutally high temperatures over 115 degrees are normal for this time of year and it will get even hotter. If you go outside in such heat it is breath taking. Would you choose to go out to Death Valley in the hottest time of the year during the hottest part of the day, without fans or air conditioning? Probably not. You know that under the torment of the fiery sun, you will groan and become weak, thirsty, and your body cannot long withstand the torment of such brutal heat. It is dangerous; without something to quench and cool, the body will die.

In today's Gospel text we heard of a man who finds himself in a far greater heat and fiery torment. The one known in Christ's parable only as "the rich man" finds himself in Hell. This formerly rich man laments to Abraham that Hell is a place of torment and that he is "in anguish". He says," If only Abraham could send Lazarus to "dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue" it would be a merciful act, "for I am in anguish in this flame".

Hell is real. It is the place of judgement that so much of the world and even many who claim to be Christian "pooh-pooh" and try to ignore. They may say that hell exists but it's only for really bad people, such as Joseph Stalin or Adolf Hitler. The topic of an eternal place of torment and judgement makes them uncomfortable. It scares them, perhaps. Perhaps it makes them question their own life choices, their day to day sins, their failure to show mercy to their fellow men and women, that there may be a God who, though merciful, is also a just God, who will hold people liable for their sins and punish those who do not repent to Him but rather worship other gods.

Hell is real. It is not, however, like the cartoons where the Devil is the head administrator and greeter, where the devil torments those judged. No, the torment is "a fire that is never quenched and a worm that never dies" as written in Mark 9. In addition to that, it will be a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth in pain and anguish also because like "the formerly rich man" people will ultimately realize the Truth and that they had their whole life to repent but instead, ignored God, ignored His word of Law and Gospel, and now in Hell, they cannot escape. As Abraham in Jesus' parable points out: "between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us."

The still unrepentant "former rich man" who had never had to beg in life, begs one last time. This time for Lazarus, to do something again, this time to be sent to warn his brothers to turn from their ways, to prevent them from ending up in that place of torment. But what did Abraham tell him?: "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." And he replied, 'No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' Abraham said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'

The rich man, his brothers, and Lazarus all had the testimony of Moses and the Prophets. And standing there at the moment this parable was spoken was the greater testimony in Jesus Christ. We could almost excuse some of the ignorance of those around Jesus because Jesus had not yet died or risen from the dead as the fulfillment of the Old Testament testimonies. But even that ignorance is no excuse. 

What is our excuse? We have Moses, the prophets, the Psalms, and the testimony of the One who has risen from the dead yet look how many do not heed it. How often do we also take this testimony for granted or see it as relatively unimportant?
In Christ’s parable, we do not hear that the “rich man” was inherently evil nor that it was his status as “being rich” which condemned him to hell. Nor are we told that Lazarus was saved because of his poverty. Earthly riches and blessings or the lack thereof are not the measurement of salvation. Abraham was wealthy and yet was saved, even as many beggars at the time Jesus may not have been saved.
What is the benchmark for salvation? What had the rich man and his brothers done wrong? The rich man was a direct descendant of Abraham, yet he was not saved for the sake of his bloodline, a testimony even against the false doctrine today among many evangelicals that all “Jews will be saved”.

So, what was it? What was his damning sin? It was faith. Damning faith. Faith only in the things of this world. He sought enjoyment, happiness, indulgence, and praise in the things of this world only. He apparently did not use his blessings as a good steward out of joyful gratitude to the Lord either for the benefit of Lazarus or anyone else, if he did any good works at all. If he did, it was not done out of faith toward God, but for earthly praise.

Lazarus was not saved because of his perfection or poverty and sores. He may have struggled with coveting the rich man and others who did not have so many troubles and sufferings. He was a sinner, but it is quite likely that because of his helpless and miserable condition, he was forced to lean all the more upon faith outside himself unto God, trusting upon Him for every breath, every morsel not only of food, but for the hope of the life to come.

The main point of this parable seems to ask who and what your god is. What is a god? Luther, under the First Commandment in the Large Catechism, writes, “A god means that from which we are to expect all good and in which we are to take refuge in all distress. So, to have a god is nothing other than trusting and believing Him with the heart.”

We show who our god is by the decisions we make, by how we live our life, how we treat other people, and so on, but that doesn’t go far enough. Some of that is superficial. The why is the greater question. Why do you treat other people the way you do? Why are you making this decision or that? Is it to glorify God who is in heaven or to glorify yourself: either by impressing others who will glorify you or as a direct self-glorifying activity?

Are you giving thanks unto the Lord in your blessings as you take that trip, buy that boat, or are you just treating yourself? Do you make that investment, take that promotion because it will help you to provide for the church, your community, and family or for your own profit and pride? Will it cause you to be away from your church, your family, your community? Will you make excuses for not doing devotions and prayers or coming to where the true God is because you are too tired or occupied with that job, sports, or other priorities? If you have time to sit and watch television for half an hour, you have time to crack open the Bible for yourself and your family. If you cannot make time for God, then who is your god and where then is saving faith?

Repent of this while there is time. That is also the message in this parable. There is only so much time in this life. Hell is real; even as heaven most assuredly is. The way to heaven is narrow, but the way to hell is wide and many will pass through. Repent and be turned. Hear Moses and the Prophets, hear the voice of the one who has been raised from the dead, and be saved.

But lest you be confused. Salvation is not in going through the motions. Salvation is not in doing good works alone. Salvation is not in coming to church and volunteering, nor by giving away all your wealth. Those works which can be and are good are only good if the “why” they are happening is right.

Salvation only comes by faith in God’s grace. By recognizing that no matter if you are blessed with earthly wealth and riches or struggle from week to week, you are still blessed far beyond what you deserve. Salvation comes from admitting that you are a miserable beggar and sinner worthy of hell. You admit your sin not to excuse your sin, but to seek mercy and strength by the forgiveness of sin from the only true God who has created heaven and earth. You plead not your righteousness and goodness, but you plead in the name of Jesus Christ, for His righteousness’ sake.

Jesus, the Son of God showed forth the love, mercy and will of God to fulfill His own justice for those who repent even as His sacrifice was sufficient for all people. The Son of God set aside the full exercise of His Divine power and made Himself poor by attaching Himself to the flesh of human beggars. He took upon Himself even our sores. The festering sores of sin which deserved eternal everlasting torment of fire and anguish, these He took to the cross. He hung in agony and anguish in crucified death to beg and plead not for the sake of His own healing and survival, but for the healing, survival, and the gift of life eternal for you and me.

Now as those who have been baptized, repented, and forgiven, hear now and heed His voice in order to become the true children of Abraham by faith and thus true children of God through Christ. Awaken to the joy that is set for you in Christ. Let this gratitude be that which propels you to love and do good to your neighbor and live the life with all its blessings that He gives to you now.

In the midst of a sin sick world, there are and will be sores and times of trouble, doubt, and fear, but do not give up. Cast it upon the Lord. Look to the cross. Receive His life blood and eat the body of Jesus Christ and be filled with His Spirit and His strength. Repeat and rejoice and be made strong until His angels take you to be safe at His side in His eternal comfort for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas