Palm Sunday - 9 April - Matthew 21:1-11

Intro: Do you like going to Adelaide? Not everyone may like going in to Adelaide, but we all have to admit it makes a difference whether we're going there in an ambulance, in the back of a police car, or in a limo to receive an award or attend a party. Which was it for Jesus going to Jerusalem? If we take this reading out of context, we might not know. But here's some context from back in Matthew ch 16: “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” And he does it again in ch 17, and a third time in ch 20. And the disciples didn't understand.  And now, when Jesus goes to Jerusalem, the whole city looks at his entrance, and says, “who is this?”

1. Who is this? This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.
   
   
   1. That's the response of the crowd that enters with him. It's a conversation between those of the crowds and those of the city. Who are the crowds? They are the great crowd who had been following Jesus into Jerusalem ever since he had passed through Jericho at the end of ch 20. It's not far, but it's a few k's. And so who is the city? The people who live in Jerusalem. But not just them, because when it was Passover time, the city grew a lot with visitors who had come to celebrate the Passover. That's the city.
      
   2. Jesus enters the city like no other, and is identified as no other.
      
      
      1. We know the governor of Judea entered Jerusalem for the Passover – Pontius Pilate. And Herod, ruler of Galilee, also was in Jerusalem for the Passover. But they were expected, and any big entrances they had would have also been expected.
         
      2. But seeing the palm branches and the cloaks spread, the city is surprised and says, “who is this?” And the response is also unique – only Jesus enters Jerusalem as a prophet of God, and not just a prophet, but the prophet – the Messiah.
         
   3. This is the Jesus who entered on a donkey to fulfill the Scriptures. This is all about the Scriptures.
      
      
      1. Jesus enters Jerusalem, and goes straight to the Temple. He must be in his Father's house.  "Open to me the gates of righteousness", as we heard in Psalm 118 - only Jesus can say this because of his own righteousness.
         
      2. Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey because that was how Israelite kings entered for their coronation. He enteres as a humble and gentle king – on a humble donkey, and on the colt of a donkey, one that had never been ridden and was unbroken.
         
      3. He enters Jerusalem to fulfill the Scriptures, which Matthew quotes from the prophet Zechariah. The Scriptures must be fulfilled. This is how God had promised the Messiah would do things, and so he does.  And with the Messiah comes big big things for the world.
         
   4. Who is this who enters? This is the question that still must receive an answer from the Scriptures.
      
      
      1. Who is this? How can we even try and answer that without and apart from the Scriptures? Well, here's one way we do: for what kind of answer do we give in our sin? When we sin, what answer are we giving to this question? “Who is this? Nobody that important. No one whose word is death and life. No one whom I should trust in so that my life is marked by his truth, his love, calling upon him in trouble or holding his word to be sacred. He is no one, not when compared with my own personal comfort.”
         
      2. Who is this? This is Jesus. Not some empty lifeless thing, but the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Every other god or god substitute is empty and lifeless because it offers nothing but emptiness and death. But here is the Christ. Here he is! You have no god worth anything unless you have the God who is revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ (the only begotten Son of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God). And he is entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (in humility) to be crowned Lord of his Church at his death. This is the answer of the Scriptures.
         

Transition: And the city asks, “who is this?” because when Jesus enters, the whole city is shaken up (and not just the city).

2. The whole city was stirred up.
   
   
   1. This goes beyond the stir that the Beatles made (but includes it). When the Beatles landed in Australia that first time, everybody was talking. And everybody agrees, “that was a pretty big deal.” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, everybody was talking. And in the case of Jesus, it really was a very big deal – undeniably. We're still talking about it today.
      
      
      
      1. So how do we want to mark Holy Week this year? Is the big stir that shook the whole city of Jerusalem just a small ripple in the pond of our lives now? If what Jesus did during Holy Week was a big deal, then what he delivers to you as this Word of his Passion is proclaimed and delivered, is a big deal. For we bring nothing to God, that he should save us. But he brings himself to Jerusalem, to the cross, for you.
         
   2. This stir joins together Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter. On Palm Sunday the whole city is shaken up. On Good Friday the very earth shakes. And on Easter morning, the soldiers guarding the tomb shake and fall over, because the earth quakes when an angel of the Lord rolls back the stone from the tomb and sits on it. These are the events that must lead to one another – if Christ enters Jerusalem, he must go to his death on the cross. If he dies on the cross, he must rise again on the third day with an empty tomb that is open for all to see. It's for all to see that he alone can forgive all your sins, and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. And every year, the Church marks Holy Week in this way. For truly,
      
   3. We don't know what's a big deal. We hear about an earthquake over in this or that country, and it makes us stop and pause. We know it's a big deal when the earth shakes in one area, but we don't know that it's a big deal when all is shaken away on the last day. Long ago, the Lord promised through the prophet Haggai that he would shake the heavens and the earth. This happened at the cross of Christ, and continues to take place through the preaching of the Word, until the Last Day when all will be fulfilled. And about that, we don't pause and take little notice. We don't know that it's a big deal where Christ's Gospel is preached and his Sacrament is administered. But,
      
   4. When Christ shakes the world, it's a big deal. When God shakes something it is of significance to the world. Why is this? Because it deals with the fulfillment of all things – the world will pass away, but the reign of sin and death are already passing away where the Gospel of Jesus is preached and believed, because in those places the Church stands firm. How about that – the cross of Christ shakes the world so that the Church may stand firm. In all things the Church stands firm – her Lord stands crucified and risen, and sinners from all nations look to him. And looking to him they are kept firm in the faith until the end.
      

Conclusion: On Palm Sunday,

Who shook the town but the One who shook the world?

Going to Jerusalem was for Jesus his suffering, which is his glory – all his work as the Christ, our Savior. Christ's going to Jerusalem is for you the greatest comfort and treasure, when he forgives you all your sins. He does this because he is the Savior who shakes the world wherever his Word is heard (and until the Last Day). May the Lord bless and keep his Church through this Holy Week. Amen.

Lent 5 - April 2, 2017 Romans 8:6-11

Intro: The litany, that precious prayer of the Church, asks our Triune God to deliver us from (among other things) “lightning and tempest, from all calamity by fire and water; and from everlasting death”. And it is the heart that can pray this than can hear and cling to the words of today's Epistle reading from Romans ch 8.

1. The flesh is death, and the Spirit is life, so since we're talking about life and death, and either one or the other, it's best to be clear on these words.
   1. The way of the flesh is death, or as Paul says it “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” – so it's probably a good idea to know what Paul means when he says flesh.
   2. “Flesh” is often used by Paul to mean “the sinful nature” as inherited from our parents. The fallen human nature has self-seeking desires that oppose God. Paul does not mean that our physical bodies or the physical world are inherently evil, since they have been created by God though they are now fallen into sin. But Paul is talking about the mindset of the sinful nature, a mindset which is in agreement with sin and in line with sin, and therefore against God. That's a mindset that is death. But,
      
   3. The mindset of the Spirit is life and peace – so it's probably a good idea to know how we receive the Holy Spirit.
      1. See, by talking of the mindset of the Spirit, Paul isn't talking about some spiritual power that we have on the inside. He's talking about the Holy Spirit who brings life by faith in Jesus Christ. Can we receive the Holy Spirit by sitting around until we feel on the inside that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us? No. Can we do enough to earn the Holy Spirit? No. Can we demand the Holy Spirit because we say so? No. God gives the Holy Spirit out of love that we may live by receiving Christ's own holiness by the Holy Spirit's life-giving work. That's just what was foretold in our OT reading: “And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live”. That sounds like a gift, and an important one, because the alternative is death as the wages of sin.
      2. How do we receive the Holy Spirit? Well, the dry bones in the valley received the Word of the Lord by the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, and lived. Jesus spoke to Lazarus, “Lazarus, come out”, and he lived. So when we are brought to life by the gift of the Holy Spirit from Christ Jesus our Lord, it pleases him to do so by his Holy Word. So where there is the Word of God and the gift of life through that Word, there the Holy Spirit is given. This applies to the visible Word, that is the Sacraments, which are the physical means of the Holy Spirit. Confessing these things, we may rejoice in the receiving of the Holy Spirit, which for the Christian is lifelong, as long as we are alive by faith.
         
      3. What comes with the mindset of the Spirit? Life and peace. This is a mindset that in agreement with the Holy Spirit and in line with the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit dwells in you, he brings you Christ's own righteousness, his own perfect life and sacrificial death which earns for you life and peace.
         The flesh is death, and the Spirit is life, but the Christian is both dead and alive.
         

2. The life in the Spirit is lived under a death sentence – thank God.
   1. Now most of the time we don't think it's good to live under a death sentence. Nobody wants to sit around waiting for the guillotine to drop. But for the Christian it is a good thing, because the Christian is both dead and alive. “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
   2. The body is dead because of sin – now this is why it is good to live under a death sentence. Because, in all honesty, I sin. It's not the mindset of the Spirit when we ignore the people who need our love and service (these are the people God has given us the special responsibility to care for according to our various callings), and it's not the mindset of the Spirit to turn around from ignoring to abuse either. It's not the mindset of the Spirit to gather in gossip so you can take pleasure because that person you don't like did something you don't like, and don't we all think so? It's not the mindset of the Spirit to put the Lord's Word or the Lord's house at the very very bottom of the priority list as if we have very little need for either. That sounds like the mindset of the flesh. And the mindset of the flesh is – death! But out of this despair comes this – the resurrection of Christ is life; the Holy Spirit dwelling within you is life because Christ Jesus is the one who declares you righeous and sends the Holy Spirit so that we may receive this great justification by faith alone; Christ's forgiveness is for me life and peace; plain and simple - the blood of Jesus is life!
      
   3. So hurray for living under a death sentence – my sinful nature lives under a death sentence that I may live. Death's dominion over me has been broken by the Holy Spirit, who is the Lord and giver of life, as we rightly say in the Creed. That daily death sentence is for my sinful nature and it's mindset, not for the mindset of the Holy Spirit, which is the mindset of faith. So the sinful nature is put to death daily until it is finally put to death at our death. Then we're free of our sinful nature, because our bodies will come out of our graves, but not our sinful natures. That's life in the Spirit. And that means we can never say we're done with our bodies, but we'll be done only with our sinful nature as we dwell with Christ who is resurrected in the flesh and who is perfect and holy. And he gives a Holy Spirit who makes us to be perfect and holy at the resurrection.
      
      1. But we receive this Holy Spirit now, as we have again been reminded. We're never, ever done depending on Christ our Lord for all salvation. So we receive this death sentence for our sinful nature when we are brought to life by the Holy Spirit through the Word and Baptism. And that's daily carried out in a simple way (though the sinful world doesn't understand, and can't understand because it rejects the forgiveness of sins in Christ's name). This death sentence and gift of life is carried out in repentance and faith (in such simple things as our morning and evening prayer*, Lord's Prayer*, confession and absolution, hearing God's Word, and at the Sacrament).
         
      2. So take heart, dear saints - Christ lives and the Holy Spirit puts to death the flesh. So when the deeds of the flesh are put to death by the Holy Spirit, there are no other deeds than carrying out our God-given callings according to the 10 Commandments. This is never done perfectly, since the sinful nature remains daily until our death – but this is done, thank the Lord. That's the Christian life, the life that is lived because of the life that is received, as Christ lives now and forevermore. And so we pray and suffer. Oh yes, pray and suffer, this is how we carry out our God-given callings. That's Romans 8 v 15-17, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” And trusting in our Savior, we'd have it no other way. Amen.

Pentecost 7 [Mark 6:14-29]

This sermon was preached at Trinity Lutheran Church, Tailem Bend (9 am) and St. John's Lutheran (11 am).

 Intro: Why does John the Baptist receive so much attention during the Church Year? This Gospel reading that is set for every three years, it only mentions Jesus' name once! But to dismiss this reading as just a bloody event long ago in history is to dismiss what John the Baptist actually did, and by God's Word, still does. So answer:

What is the most dangerous part of John the Baptist? King Herod's wife Herodias thought it was his head. That's the part that she wants to cut off. She and her husband knew some part of this prophet was dangerous. Why? “John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." ” And it's very easy to get distracted by the shameful details that belong more on A Current Affair or Today Tonight: Herodias had been the wife of Philip, Herod's brother. Herod divorced his wife to marry Herodias, who had divorced her husband. And both of her husbands were also her uncles. But this Gospel reading isn't here to make you say: “Look at all the things that happen with rich and powerful people who always get their own way.”

Mark says, “Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not” because “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.” “But an opportunity came”, and that was Herod's birthday party.

And at the birthday party you can see all sorts of people showing what their most dangerous part was. For the daughter of Herodias, it was her dance. For her mother, it was her mouth that put the words in someone else's mouth to ask for the head of John. For Herod, he was scared to go back on an oath that should not have included the possibility of doing something so wrong. He was scared to do that in front of his guests and show weakness. So his most dangerous part was the hand that found one of his servants and did this [head cut off motion]. Who was really dangerous here, John, or this family?

And John's head is cut off and put on a platter. But that's not his most dangerous part. His most dangerous part is his finger. And even after his head is cut off, his finger remains. Why his finger? Because his finger always points to the Savior, to Christ. John's job was to prepare the way for the One he points to: Jesus. In the art of the Reformation, in fact, John the Baptist is always painted as pointing to Jesus on the cross. But John didn't say, “Since my job is to prepare for Jesus who is the Savior, it would go against my job to point out the adultery of this King Herod. It wouldn't be a good witness if I said anything; I'll let it be.” John the Baptist is the greatest of the prophets however, and he knew that saying what God himself says about sin is a part of his job in preparing the way – is part of his job in pointing to what Jesus does. He does so even if that makes him dangerous. For

John is dangerous, but cutting off his head doesn't get rid of the danger, for Herod and family or for all sinners. The religion of the world wants to get rid of the Christian faith as Herod did to John because just having such a confession of faith gets in the way of people trying to live their lives the way they think is best. Just the presence of Christians confessing and practicing their faith is enough to draw the hatred of the world which hates Christ. But Christ has promised that the world will never get rid of these Christians, of his Church. This will never happen no matter how many heads get cut off, or no matter how many times Jesus' disciples must wipe the dust from their feet as a testimony against those who reject their preaching. These things are only a testimony and confession of Jesus, which are still heard today. Upon hearing them, people still leave behind the way that they think is best in favor of God's way. That's the daily life of the Christian too.

Heads will continue to be chopped off, but John's finger will continue to point because A) God's Word will ever stand strong and can't be overthrown or silenced and B) Christ continues to forgive even the very worst sins, even yours.

And John's finger still points to Christ, still preaches this repentance. For Christ works repentance, which is dangerous to our hearts, for we want to be God and want no competition, and have no way to fix that we're not. And yet Christ works repentance, that in your Baptism the Father is well pleased with you (nothing tawdry about that! It is a blessed family of faith.) (nothing empty either – the Father is pleased with what Christ has done in shedding his blood for your forgiveness, and so when Christ himself washes you with such a forgiveness in the waters of Baptism you have a gracious heavenly Father).

When John's finger points, he draws the line between the world's religion and Christ's religion. Our sinful hearts want to blur the line between who is Savior and who isn't (as Herod and the crowds in their own way blurred the lines between John and Jesus – Herod hears of the disciples of Jesus and thinks of John; the crowds had asked John, “are you the Messiah?”) And a blurry line between who is Savior and who isn't can sound very holy and nice. Jesus can even be allowed to be mostly Savior, as long as my own heart and will and desires are in the driver's seat. But,

When the line is not bright and clearly seen, the result is no good, as Jesus demonstrates when speaking of those who will say to him on the Last Day, “Lord, Lord”, but he will reply, “Depart from me. I have not known you.” That's the danger of mistaking the religion of the world for the religion of Jesus.

But the line is clear in just these type of situations – it's easy to tell the line between the world's religion and Christ's when the world puts Christians to death because they confess Christ. This is the advantage of the great problems in Western society at the moment – it's becoming easier to tell what's Christian and what isn't.

This is as clear as the difference between Herod's feast, the feeding of the 5,000, and the Lord's Supper. Nothing good happens at Herod's feast. But Jesus does a miracle out of compassion for the crowd when he feeds the 5,000 in this same Mark chapter 6. And Jesus still does good things when he, out of great compassion for you, to comfort you continually with the promise and gift of forgiveness, does a miracle. He places his risen body and blood into your mouth, to give you his forgiveness.

The line of who is Savior is clear when Christ is put to death and put in a tomb and is for sure risen. This is seen in what happens to John. See, it says that Herod is afraid that Jesus is John risen from the dead. But John awaits the resurrection of the body as all departed Christians do. But Jesus, he is risen. And John is put to death for doing nothing wrong, as Jesus also was. But it's only at the death of Jesus that the centurion bears witness - “Truly this man was the Son of God!”. And John's disciples take the body and bury John. But Jesus isn't even buried by the Twelve, but his tomb is now empty and his Twelve did preach his words to the world. And the Church must keep to the apostles' teaching if she dares call herself “apostolic”. The Church must always do what John does – point not to your heart and your feelings, but always to Christ – there is your Savior. There is your Redeemer. There is your righteousness before the Father. There is the One who sends you the Holy Spirit so that all the words of the Scripture may stick in your heart.

John points, and that will never end as surely as John also enjoys the fulfillment of all he pointed to: the free gift of heaven with Christ forever that is yours.

Conclusion: John's most dangerous part is his finger, because his finger points to Jesus. Jesus forgives the worst of sins. John's finger draws the line between the religion of the world and the religion of Jesus because only the Christian faith looks to Christ alone for all forgiveness of sin, for full salvation from the evil one, and for eternal life. Amen.   

Pentecost 4 [Mark 4:35-41]

This sermon was preached at St John's Lutheran Church, Karoonda (9 am) and Trinity Lutheran Church, Tailem Bend (11 am).

Intro: Verbal question marks are neat. English has question words, but you can ask a question without them ("It's my turn." vs "It's my turn?"). The apostles here ask Jesus a question: “Teacher, don't you care that we are perishing?” But after his death and resurrection, they and we “tell out the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness and into his marvellous light”, which is not a question, but a statement. For,

Jesus does what no one can do, so the only way the Church can say that for sure is by faith in him.

Transition: How can we say for sure that Jesus calmed a storm immediately, completely, and simply by saying “Be quiet!” (basically)? No one does that. It doesn't happen. But it did. So the only way we can say something so impossible happened is that these words come from a heart made sure by his words. And his words make sure of who he is, and what he has done. For,

Jesus does what no one can do. See, we call someone a great person if they can safely ride out the wind and waves. We call them pretty full of themselves if they think they are in control of the winds and waves. And someone stopping the wind and waves completely and in an instant? That doesn't happen. Except it did. If no one can do such a thing, who can? Here's how Psalm 107 describes those in danger on the sea: “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. ²⁹ He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. ” And what about today's Gospel reading: were there people crying to Jesus, did Jesus still the storm and calm the waves? Did this cause his disciples to say, “Who is this?” That's because he is God – true God and true man.

And everything else in Mark's Gospel (in the whole Bible too) only confirms this. He heals with a touch or a word. He casts out demons. In the next chapter he casts out the demons from a man who could not be bound and lived in the tombs – he does what no one else can do because that man Jesus is God. That demon-possessed man couldn't be bound, but Jesus released him. And Jesus in last week's Gospel told the parable that spoke of the strong man being bound, who is Satan. Jesus binds Satan because he does what no one else can do – in order to deliver you from your distress (of sin, death, and the devil).

And because Jesus is God who rules over all his creation, he takes it upon himself to deliver his creation which is fallen in sin. That's the promise given to Adam and Eve on the very day of the fall, that One born of woman would do the work needed to deliver all flesh. Christ makes this his own responsibility to make right what sinful humanity has made wrong, even as he has this charge from his Father. So don't go up to God in what you say and do telling him how you're such a good person. That won't clear you of any sin. For Jesus can do what no one else can do – your salvation, the forgiveness of your sins.

And remember that when it often doesn't seem like Jesus cares. For the fact that he does what no one else can do is actually proof of how much he cares. By virtue of his birth and his cross and by virtue of his gift of your Baptism, despite how it seems for you right now, Jesus cares and saves and relieves with a good conscience and the victory over all that would afflict you; and this victory is where he forgives by the sacraments. And these sacraments comfort and reassure you that he does care, because Baptism and the Lord's Supper aren't empty things because Jesus does what no one can do.

Transition: But here's what we can do: be timid and fearful and display great lack of faith. That's what we have the power to do. The disciples said to Jesus, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”. And after stilling the storm, Jesus says to the disciples “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”.

The only way the Church can assert what is true and real is by faith in Christ. When the disciples said, “Teacher, do you not care?”, they expected a positive answer. “Teacher, you care that we are perishing, don't you?” But they put it in the form of a question. But faith makes rock solid statements that are sure. Keep in mind that even the psalms writers who say, “How long, O Lord?” they're not asking a question of doubt. They direct their prayer to the Lord because they will proceed to make strong declarations: “The Lord has heard my plea”.

And so we don't bless doubt. We don't bless saying, “here's what we believe, but maybe we don't believe that” or “here's what we believe, but it's probably not important.” Asking questions is great – doing nothing more than asking questions, not so much. Eventually we realize the Apostles Creed has no question marks; the Lord's Prayer has no question marks; when we sing “O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world”, there are no question marks. [And keep this in mind when you hear talk of the Bible in the Church as 'being in coversation with the text in community', because that type of thinking never finally arrives at the strong conclusion of “We believe, teach, and confess”. But we do, and that's what we'll hear next week as we celebrate the Presenation of the Augsburg Confession.]

Transition: We believe all this knowing that, just like for the disciples, it's outside of our power to understand who Jesus is. But Jesus does what no one else can do. Indeed, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that -

Faith makes statements. Faith says, “Lord Jesus, you do care if we are perishing, and by your redemption we shall never perish. Amen.” And that's not a question. [Amen itself is a confident assertion, not in ourselves, our prayers or our faith, but in Christ and in his Word. To do this isn't to be full of ourselves but in fact to be humble before Christ. And to be humble before Christ makes us humble before the neighbor. We say “Lord have mercy” to the Lord, and turn to our neighbor believing what we've just said. saying “I stand here only because the Lord has had mercy on me. That makes me your servant, good neighbor.”]

But, keep in mind, the Lord doesn't send away the disciples with their questions, he keeps them where the answers are: where Christ is and speaks. (In the same way, we don't bless doubt, but bless the Lord who gives the Scriptures. And we point to the Scriptures, where they are read and preached and taught. God is able to make it so that the Scriptures are understood. He's in the business of doing things that are impossible, like calming wind and wave. He's in the business of joining water to his Word to work the forgiveness of sins. He's in the business of joining bread and wine to his Word so that what is put in your mouth is the body and blood of our risen Savior – that this gift is “for you, for the forgiveness of sins”. There we may doubt ourselves, but not Christ's words; for Christ gives sure words: “for you”.)

But the heart that doesn't fear, love, and trust in God above all things may indeed use questions but in reality: What unbelief knows is the opposite of what faith knows on the basis of Scripture (Faith confesses with the psalm writer: “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” [Psalm 86:15]. But unbelief says there is no God and if there was he would be unmerciful] . Unbelief says the Holy Scripture can't be the Word of God in all its parts. And guess what lurks in our hearts. Unbelief is always lurking in our hearts [why do I complain? Why do I not praise? I am just like those disciples.].

But for the Christian unbelief is always fighting against faith. So faith looks to something stronger than our hearts, and that is Christ and all of his words [Why am I content? [use Paul's answer – Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”; or the author of Hebrews' answer – Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Heb 13:5 ESV)”] Why do I praise? [Isaiah 25:1 “O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”; and because Jesus is the sacrifice for your sin, the author to the Hebrews writes in 13:15 “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. ”] ].

Conclusion: There is only one reason why Jesus could still the storm: he is God. And that's the very reason why the disciples didn't need to ask him if he cared – if he didn't care, he wouldn't have been born that he may die on the cross for your sin. So you can go to him with doubts, but the work of the Holy Spirit is to give the confession of faith: not “I believe in one God?” but “I believe in one God . . .”. Amen. 

Pentecost 3 [Mark 4:26-34]

This sermon was preached at Trinity Lutheran Church, Tailem Bend (9 am) and St. John's Lutheran Church, Karoonda (11 am).

Intro: When it's winter, it's time to be near the heater. And we call it the heater because that's what it does, whether it's the dual cycle or the wood stove or what have you. And we know that being by the heater is a good place to be, at least to avoid being cold. Even as we know that, and as we know that seeds come up automatically and that mustard seeds grow mustard plants, it's still up to the Holy Spirit to bring us Christ's words that in his Kingdom, the Word does what it's meant to do, and that his kingdom is a safe haven for sinners. Indeed,

The reign and rule of God is as certain as planting and harvesting and as reliable a place to dwell as branches for birds.

The reign and rule of God is as certain as planting and harvesting. Do you want a harvest? How do you get one? You plant seed, and then, after a while, you harvest when the grains say it's time. This is basically it. That's how you get a harvest, if you want a harvest. (Jesus doesn't mention all the troubles that can affect a harvest.)

Now Jesus tells the first parable so that you may ask, “What does God want?”. The first parable goes, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. ²⁷ He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. ²⁸ The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹ But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come”. And earlier in Mark chapter 4, Jesus told the parable of the Sower, and he later explained to the disciples that the Seed is the Word of God, and the soil is human hearts. So what God wants, his Word will bring about. He wants the sinner to live, to believe in him above all things. His Word brings this about. It does what it's meant to do, just like seeds do what they're meant to do; just like rain does what it's meant to do. The Word of God does what it's meant to do. When he wants a harvest of the forgiveness of sins, he sows his Word which brings it.

Isaiah 55:10-11 says the same thing: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, ¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”. Here the Word of God is like the rain. It does what it's supposed to do. That's why we're saying now, “if we get three nights of rain, that will help the fields.” The rain will do what it's supposed to do. This helps us to not be prideful and think that we have added anything to our salvation because of how good we are. How did God bring about the harvest of my faith, that I believe in him? He sent his Word and what sprung up was the forgiveness of all my sins for the sake of Christ alone, who died for me.

And so Jesus speaks about what his own words would bring about. But what did Jesus' words bring about? They got him killed – he said he was the Son of God. He said “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up”. He spoke the truth, but it got him killed. Jesus has the Word and he is the Word. So what do Jesus' words still bring about? Jesus' words both brought about his death for you and deliver how his death is truly able to exchange your sins for his holiness and purity. His Word does what it was meant to do, which is bring the light of salvation to you.

Transition: And we can have complete and total confidence in Christ's salvation because

Jesus is the Sower of the Word, which brings a harvest without needing our human might. This is good news because we would spread something different than the Word and would see no value when God does spread it. Left to our own fallen hearts we would spread a false word of “Just try your best, but remember, whatever you say is right is okay.” That's not a harvest to gather in because it's fruit is secure sinners, not repentant sinners. But when Christ's Word preaches true repentance, it makes us uncomfortable, because who wants to be wrong?

And the Sower is also the One in charge of the harvest. And when does Jesus gather in his harvest in complete fulfillment? Judgment Day. Yet when the harvest comes, you can be confident in Christ and his Word, that he will gather you in. That's what Jesus does with his rule and reign: the forgiveness of sins leads to life everlasting. Judgment day is a comfort. He gathers in the ripe grains. Jesus doesn't mention any troubles with the harvest, for he promises to keep his kingdom secure even in the midst of trouble. For,

And all of this is without human might. We rely on and trust in God's action. Just the same way no farmer would say, “Ok, when is the wheat coming?” only to hear “You didn't plant any”, in the same way no congregation can say, “Okay, let's be God's people.” only to hear from the Lord “Not without God's Word preached to your ears.” There are no hearers of the Word, which is how the Small Catechism names church members, there are no hearers of the Word without the Word. And there is no word unless God sends the Word. And the same way a farmer spreads seed, the Lord spreads his Kingdom – and his Kingdom is taught and preached.

Transition: Now the second parable has a few differences, even though we're still talking about seeds. Here the mustard seed is the kingdom of God – it is seen as small and therefore not of much importance. But it's a haven for the nations.

Jesus said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? ³¹ It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, ³² yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” The reign and rule of God is as reliable a place to dwell as branches for birds.

But you can have confidence that Jesus says, “when it is sown, it grows up”. This happens. It grows. Now, it doesn't grow in a way that the sinful world can measure rightly, that we can see its glory with our eyes, and it's not so great as to ignore the small, and as we kneel at the altar we say, “yes, that's me. Lord, have mercy.” But, as a mustard plant grows and its branches provide a dwelling place for the birds, the reign and rule of God grows and provides a haven for the nations, that we dwell where Christ forgives sins, where the Word does its work. What Christ has said is reliable.

We can have confidence in the reign and rule of God, though the Church looks small and poor. For where did Jesus grow up? Nazareth. Who were his apostles? Fishermen and such. It's never been any different for those who believe in Christ.

And today? Still the same (Christ's Church is actively looked at as very insignificant. His Word is looked at as very insignificant. The general opinion is basically 'what the Bible says is so much less important than what the culture says is important'.) (Sadly, look inside the church too: nice thoughts and little ways to improve my life are preferred and offered over and instead of Christ bringing you from death to life by the preaching of his cross, and Baptism in his name, and eating the risen body of our Lord who has won the victory over death).

It's a very good thing that the Church is in fact a refuge for poor sinners, because if it were left to our fallen hearts we would take refuge under the branches of that which is not the Kingdom of God and would call God's Kingdom a small and unimportant thing.

But the truth remains – mustard seeds do grow into large plants, and God's reign and rule is the place where we dwell, but we dwell here according to sins forgiven. We dwell here ready for Judgment Day. We dwell here listening to God's Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. We dwell here speaking and living according to God's Word by the wisdom which the Holy Spirit gives.

The kingdom is a harbor and haven because we are able to hear God's Word, as the people also heard Jesus' parables, because of God's work – only because he gives hearts to hear it. For the Holy Spirit brings wisdom to understand the Word and to delight in God's means of grace. So, confident that the Lord has planted and continues to plant his Word, we can look for the harvest of faith and hope and love. Confident that the reign and rule of God is a refuge for us , a refuge in the shape of Christ's cross, we rejoice that the kingdom of God is where his Word is preached and taught, and believed.

Conclusion: Even this cold winter, Christ's words are reliable. These two parables are a wonderful gift. Christ our Lord loves to strengthen you to believe that his Word does its work just as sowing leads to harvesting. He loves to strengthen you that a strong refuge for all sinners is to be found where his Word and forgiveness are given out, found where his cross is your glory. Amen.  

Pentecost 2 [Mark 3:20-35]

This sermon was preached at St John's Lutheran Church, Karoonda (9 am) and Trinity Lutheran Church, Tailem Bend (11 am).

Intro: It's such a wonderful thing when a child grows up and repeats their parent's wisdom back to them: “You always say, 'family comes first; unless there's a work thing.'” “I have said that.” Jesus turns a lot of things on their head. He does this because his work is to bring to you things of lasting importance, and to bring you to what is of the highest importance. Because of this, you can firmly trust that

Through faith in Christ you are brought into a lasting family.

Transition: And what does this family say? Well, it doesn't say that Jesus is out of his mind. And it doesn't say that Jesus is in league with the devil or that he has an unclean spirit. In fact,

There is only one confession of Christ that the Holy Spirit works: Lord. (Now this one confession can be as short as “Jesus is Lord”, or as long as the very longest confessions of faith that are a correct teaching of all that Holy Scripture says. But, at the end of the day,) - the scribes didn't have it. “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "by the prince of demons he casts out the demons." ” At first, we're a bit surprised by the name Beelzebul, but think of how many other titles the devil receives in the Bible – Satan, our adversary, the evil one, not to mention what we sing in A Mighty Fortress – the old evil foe. So this is just another of those. The second part of their attack has to do with his casting out of demons. As you read Mark, you see how the demons know who Jesus is. But that's not because Jesus is an agent of the devil, which is the charge of the scribes.

So Jesus calls them to him and deals with both of their attacks. First he deals with the issue of his casting out demons. First he gives some general knowledge – a nation embroiled in civil war can't stand. Everyone agrees on that. Then he gives an example – a household that is divided, will it stand? No. So Jesus says, “Given that and turning to the case in question – my supposed alliance with Satan – if in this particular case Satan has arisen in my ministry against himself and has divided himself and his forces, then he is of no effect and is finished. But that assessment is not true, since Satan is still active and is still a powerful force, a force that I am dealing with”. Basically - “you are totally wrong about what I am doing”.

That's why he then talks about the binding of the strong man. It's a simple comparison: Satan is the strong man, but Jesus is the stronger man. And the goods that Jesus carries off from the devil – are those same believers that he later says are his family. The goods are the Church, and he carries you off by completing his work of defeating the devil at the cross, where he shed his blood for your sins.

The scribes don't have the confession that says Jesus is Lord. They have the opposite confession. But then Jesus says, “"Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-- ”. But we don't have to be confused by this. Mark explains: “for they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." ”. That's the difference between the scribes and Jesus' family. His family also didn't have the confession that Jesus is Lord. But they would. Jesus' family says he is out of his mind, but would later believe in him. They call what he is doing bad. And this is much like what Jesus says of the soldiers who nailed him to the cross, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” But the scribes, in saying that Jesus is an agent of the devil, are not only saying Jesus is bad but the devil is good. So they are speaking a blasphemy against what the Holy Spirit does – against faith. They are praising unbelief. So they are speaking something worthy of outrage about both Jesus and the Holy Spirit – they condemn faith and the forgiveness of sins and everything. To condemn these things is to be cut off from them. But that's what the Holy Spirit takes away in bringing the right realization of sin and the right comfort of Christ's cross which takes that sin and gives Christ's holiness.

Jesus talks about no less than plundering the devil, and the forgiveness of sins. What Jesus says to the scribes has to do with things that last. His words have this in common with today's Epistle, where we hear, “For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”. It's important that the Scripture says these things, for we worship things that don't last all the time. When we say, “yes the Bible says that's wrong, but that was written so long ago, and I don't feel it's wrong for me” - that's worshipping the culture, which will pass away. In fact, all the surrounding culture can do is worship things that also pass away. But Paul says it so clearly in today's Epistle. And he can say that because Christ's gifts don't pass away. Forgiveness of sins doesn't decay; Baptism doesn't expire; and the Lord's Supper doesn't run dry. And Paul preaches that Jesus brings you to what is of lasting importance and of greatest importance: “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” He brings you to heaven, and he says “we have a building from God”, for our Lord doesn't just bring you but he brings the Church.

And the ultimate issues are two-sided: just as important as God's relationship to you is, it's just as important that he breaks the claim the devil has on you because of your sin. He breaks this claim because the blood of Christ shed on the cross breaks his claim on you. Therefore the Holy Spirit brings about the trust that relies upon the Father above all things for the sake of Jesus the Son. And the Holy Spirit brings about the daily fight against sin and the devil, and all the devil's lies. Because, as we saw in today's Gospel, all the devil's lies are really one lie, and this lie always attacks Jesus' salvation for you. And that's why, with great humility, we identify and fight error in the Church. And we have a clear word for that: earlier here in Mark 3, Jesus sends the 12 to proclaim the kingdom and also cast out demons. And so the Church proclaims faith in Jesus and defends against all evil.

Yes, the only confession of Jesus which the Holy Spirit produces is: Lord. No confession at all is not something the Spirit works. No confession about Jesus is itself a confession against Jesus. But Jesus' mother and brothers had a confession: they tried to seize him, saying “he is out of his mind”. But it's not like he can say that his followers who are gathered around him are family because they have similar interests, because they get along so well. It's more than that. And so Jesus' family stand outside and call to Jesus. But Jesus' followers are inside with him. See that comparison of outside and inside?

Jesus with his family outside and his followers inside doesn't demonstrate how the Church is to be excluding, but he demonstrates the only way that the Church is inclusive. First, note that outrage over being inclusive or not comes from the culture. Second, don't be offended at what Jesus does when it's something you yourself would do. If someone wanted to join your chapter of the Lions club but said the club should change it's activities to include arson, you'd say no. It's the same thing for those who have no place for the forgiveness of sins for the sake of Christ alone in the Church (which isn't a club btw). For only the work of the Holy Spirit includes you into the Church, no matter your surname.

Because the thing was, it is up to Jesus to declare who his family is. In many cultures people say, “family comes first”, and “blood is thicker than water”. But Jesus points everything to what he has done for you on the cross and the Spirit that brings about this faith by which he declares you to be his family.

The Church is only made through the words and works of God. So we can confidently point to his Word which hits our ears, to Baptism and to the Lord's Supper and say – here are the words and works of God. If they are here, then his Church is here. Take heart, for the Lord has given you something better than a mere hobby, and joined you to something better than a mere club; Christ creates a family who by the Holy Spirit confess his works and words. And his works and words are what we believe in by the power of the Spirit.

And so he says, “"Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother." ” And he doesn't say that to make our salvation depend on our works. Doing the will of God is what his believers do; this isn't something you accidentally do. You don't just blunder into it. It's the result of the new birth of faith. [Room for an illustration: it's not like going to the shop and getting yourself a Coke but you get home and your spouse says, “Oh, you got that Coke for me that I asked you to get”. “Why, yes”.] You do it because you have the heart to do it, and this you only have not by being under unclean spirits but by being under the Holy Spirit, even as Jesus bears the Spirit and sends the Spirit.

Conclusion: When Jesus brings you something of lasting importance, he brings you into a heavenly family. That family has one confession: that Jesus is Lord. The Holy Spirit brings about that confession, and the devil fights against it. But that family does the will of the Lord, living by the forgiveness of sins that is yours by the work of Christ's cross. Amen.  

Holy Trinity [Isaiah 6:1-8]

This sermon was preached at Trinity Lutheran Church, Tailem Bend (9 am).

 Intro: There's two things we don't do (or shouldn't) on Trinity Sunday. One is we don't mention the Trinity for the only time all year. Two is we don't treat the Holy Trinity as a concept or body of information that we just pop open our heads, shove the information in, and close them up. This Sunday, as well as every Sunday, the Word goes out that the Holy Trinity brings you the forgiveness of sins in the only way you can get this forgiveness. So this year, with Isaiah we say,

Who takes away your uncleanness? The God whom angels and the Church confess as holy.

But as we hear today's Old Testament reading, the angels confess the nature of God as Three in One (triune), but the first thing that Isaiah confesses before God's face is something different. He says, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" ”. This is his confession that God's nature has only terror outside of the forgiveness of sins, for he is [thrice] holy.

For Isaiah couldn't get away from God's glory, as he saw God seated upon the throne, saw the heavenly temple. He couldn't get away from it because God's glory has no limit. This is seen in v 1, where Isaiah says, “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ” It is seen in v 4 where we hear “the house was filled with smoke. ” These are God demonstrating his glory, as the angels call back and forth to each other “the whole earth is full of his glory!” Keeping this in mind, it's easy to see that Isaiah calls God “The Holy One of Israel” more times than all the other prophets. For holiness is God's hidden glory; glory is God's all present holiness.

And again, what is Isaiah's response to seeing the Lord? “Woe is me. 'Woe is me' because of my unclean lips. I am impure; I am not fit to be in the presence of God to see his glory. Because of my sin and guilt I'm as good as dead.”

This may not be such an issue for you, to see the heavenly throne room as Isaiah did. But we will all be in the presence of Christ who will judge the living and the dead. And no one has clean lips because Adam and Eve's lips touched what the Lord had told them not to eat. So Isaiah was terrified to approach God with his sins. In the same way, we should reject any attempt to approach God because of our good works or because of our self-invented worship, because to do that is not to receive the free forgiveness of sins but to reject it. We invent our own worship because it is a worship of God that has no need for the forgiveness of sins. But we approach the throne of glory through the blood of Christ, or not at all.

Because Isaiah didn't stand before God and say, “I'm a man of unclean lips. But leave it to me, and I will provide the way to purify myself.” God takes action, sending a seraph to take a glowing coal from the altar, which touches Isaiah's lips. God's Word points us back to this time and again every time we say in our hearts, “If I do “good” then God will be pleased with me. If I do “good”, then nothing bad will happen to me.” Even the angels used tongs to take the coal. When God forgives, it is something that only he can provide, not us, not even an angel from heaven. But the angel rejoiced to be the steward and servant of such a gift.

Or think of it like this. If you are invited to a big gala, if you spill a drink all over yourself, will you want to meet the host or the guest of honor right after? With that stain? How much more shame is there before God's face for even unclean lips!

This is because of God's holiness. The angels cry, “Holy”. But not just holy, but “holy, holy, holy”. This reading is chosen for Trinity Sunday for this reason. The beautiful Hebrew language which Isaiah wrote in uses repetition to show something that is best, without equal. If you wanted to say, “most very beautiful”, you would say “beautiful, beautiful” in Hebrew. But you only repeat it once. There is no other time in the Old Testament where a word repeats three times. But here it does - the one God is three times holy. The angels are speaking their special insight into the Triune nature of God. So of course, God says, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” He is displaying his Triune nature, which Christ will make plain before his Ascension.

Transition: So the forgiveness of sins makes all the difference when it comes to the glory of the Triune God. Notice Isaiah's words before and after the coal touching his lips [before: woe to me; after: here am I] – God hadn't changed, but Isaiah has received the forgiveness of sins.

Indeed, where there is forgiveness of sins, the Trinity is praised. Proper worship calls upon the name which alone saves. This name is given you in your Baptism – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Or just think of it this way. The holiness of God has no limit, but the holy God locates his forgiveness to make you holy. This is worthy of praise. So if you were at a party and spilled a drink on yourself, if someone applied one of those stain stick/instant stain removers to you, you would be very thankful and could stand with no shame before anybody. So if God applies the forgiveness of sins that Jesus accomplished on the cross to you, you would thank and praise him. And you would thank and praise him by calling upon his name in faith, happily speaking “I believe in God the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, and in the Holy Spirit.”

[“The doctrine of the Trinity is proclaimed constantly in Invocation, Absolution, Gloria Patri, Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis, Collects, Creeds, General Prayer, Proper Preface, Sanctus, and Benediction.” We worship like Trinitarians because we are.  And this is a two way street - if we stopped worshipping like Trinitarians eventually we'd stop believing like Trinitarians.]

You can't talk about your salvation without talking about which God gives it (that is, only the God who is revealed in Christ the Savior – the Son begotten of the Father whose Spirit makes the Gospel stick in our hearts. That's the only God that can forgive you your sins). This only points out how much there is to celebrate on Trinity Sunday . . . and every Sunday. For,

Only the God who is proclaimed to be “holy, holy, holy” can order the burning coal to touch Isaiah's lips. This seems strange, but it was exactly Isaiah's lips that led him to say “Woe is me”, and we have the words which the angel spoke to interpret this action: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And there are two wonderful points about this burning coal. Okay, three. The first is that what is on the altar is holy, set apart for God's saving use. So Isaiah receives holiness from the Lord; it's not from Isaiah, not from his works, but from God. Second, what is charcoal made out of anyway? It's made from wood. How interesting that wood touches Isaiah's lips and brings forgiveness. We know one particular piece of wood by which Christ the Son offered the sacrifice that brings you the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. And third, the coal is not plain wood, but it is a burning/glowing coal – it is united with fire. In the same way, we know of something that touches our lips and is put on our tongues that is not just plain but is united with something wonderful for God's saving purpose: The bread of holy communion is not plain bread because it is bread united with the living body of Christ because it is united to Christ's own words: This is my body. And as this coal brought forgiveness to Isaiah, the Sacrament brings forgiveness to sinners.

Looking at the above, we can say that Isaiah, writing over 700 years beforehand, saw Christ's glory. We can also say this because the Bible says this in just those words: In the verses after today's reading, the Lord speaks to Isaiah that his office of prophet won't be fun. But these verses are mentioned in John chapter 12, “Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, ³⁸ so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ^{. . .} Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.” And in Acts 28, Paul says, in so many words, that the Holy Spirit speaks these words of God in Isaiah 6 to people, “And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:” So the Holy Spirit speaks the glory of Jesus, whom Isaiah saw, and this is the glory that Jesus and the Holy Spirit share equally with the Father, ever one God, world without end. Amen.  So this is a high day of praise. For behold, heaven meets earth where there is the sacrifice for sins given out. The Trinity meets sinners where the sacrifice is given out.  Amen.  

Conclusion: Amen because

Who takes away your uncleanness? Father, Son, and Holy Spirit whom angels and the Church confess as holy, holy, holy. Amen.