The First Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Luke 16:19-33
In Christ Jesus, our priceless Treasure, who shares with us His eternal inheritance of holiness and life, dear fellow redeemed:
In our younger years, I don’t think any of us imagined having less than when we grew up. We imagined having a house at least as nice as the one we were living in, and we dreamed of having a lot more—plenty of money to buy what we wanted, go where we wanted, and do what we wanted. We would look out the car window at the huge houses and nice properties and wonder what it would be like to live there. We still do that even as we get older. We think of the lucky people who have all those nice things, “living the good life.”
That’s the kind of life the rich man in today’s reading had. He wore the finest clothes. He ate the best food. He was rich and famous. Everyone knew his name. Everyone wanted to be acquainted with him and hopefully be invited to join him at his feasts. The pursuit of this kind of life is what causes so many Americans to buy lottery tickets every day. I just saw that Americans spend about $900 billion each year on lottery tickets which is nearly $300 million spent every day, 365 days a year.
We dream of being rich. No one dreams of being a beggar like the poor man Lazarus in today’s reading. Lazarus was laid by someone at the gate of the rich man because if anyone had money or goods to spare, it was the owner of the mansion. Lazarus was in bad shape. He was covered with sores, too weak to shoo away the dogs. Nobody wanted to go near him—they might catch what he had. They didn’t even want to look at him. He was a public nuisance. Couldn’t someone come and take him away?
We can understand that response. We might feel the same way if a sick stranger was laid outside our house. But then we remember what Jesus will say to the believers on the last day: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me…. Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Mat. 25:35-36,40). The beggar needed someone to have compassion, but no one did. Where were the faithful followers of God?
They weren’t in the rich man’s house. It isn’t that rich people cannot believe; it’s that many of them think that whatever they need, they can buy. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Mat. 19:23-24). Can you imagine a camel with his huge humps fitting through something as tiny as the eye of a needle?
Jesus said this right after a rich man asked Him what he needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus told him he had to keep the Commandments. The rich man said he had done this. Jesus replied, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Jesus’ words caused the man to leave in sadness, for “he had great possessions” (vv. 16-22). Giving away all he had for Jesus was asking too much.
But Jesus did not say he would lose all his treasure. He told him to give up his earthly treasure, so that he would have “treasure in heaven.” That’s a difficult bargain: give up something you can see for something you can’t see. We face decisions like this all through our life. Do I pursue whatever I feel like doing now, or do I stay mindful about my future? Do I opt for the quick fling today or wait for the commitment and stability of a life-long relationship? Indulging in the present always seems more appealing—just ask the kid with a handful of money if he would rather use it to buy toys today or put it in savings and wait for it to grow.
Focusing on the present, on earthly possessions and self-satisfaction will always be more tempting. But the best things in life are the things we wait for, like birthdays, Christmas, marriage, children. Even better than all these are the good things God has stored up for us in heaven. Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Mat. 6:19-20).
But what are those treasures in heaven? We find out from Lazarus. Before, he was left alone to die surrounded by dogs; now, he was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. Before, he was poor and hungry; now, he was perfectly content and satisfied. Before, he was covered with sores; now, he was covered in righteousness. Before, no one showed him mercy; now, he was comforted in heaven. Revelation 21:4 says that for all eternity, God “will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Those are the treasures in heaven.
The rich man did not experience these things. He died just like Lazarus did, but he did not have faith like Lazarus had. His soul was sent to hell. Before, he had whatever his heart desired; now, he was desperate for a few drops of water. Before, he was covered in fine clothes; now, he was covered in flames. Before, he was satisfied and happy; now, he was in torment and anguish. Before, he would not admit the needy through his gates; now, God would not admit him through the gates of heaven. Before, everyone knew his name; now, nobody cared about him.
The eternal judgment of the dead cannot be changed. Those who die in faith cannot lose heaven. Those who die in unbelief can never escape hell. Abraham said to the rich man, “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.” This is why now is the time to repent of our sins and to hold on tightly to the gracious gifts He gives us.
The rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers about the torments of hell. Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” When the rich man protested, saying that this was not enough, Abraham said, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” “Moses and the Prophets” was the shorthand way of describing all the books in the Old Testament Scriptures. Abraham said that the Holy Scriptures were powerful to bring the rich man’s brothers to repentance and faith.
The rich man disagreed like so many do today. They view the Bible as a man-made book, full of superstitions, a book which probably does more harm than good. If they think there is some better place like heaven, they expect they will get there because of how good they have been. They fought for social justice. They helped the needy. They lived a decent life. But Abraham, the father of the faithful, who “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6)—this Abraham says, “let them hear [Moses and the Prophets].”
He says the same thing to you and me. “Listen to the Word of God; read it; study it; memorize it; meditate on it. It is the living Word of the living God.” God’s Word does not return to Him empty (Isa. 55:11). You are proof of that. You are here today because “the Holy Ghost has called [you] by the Gospel, enlightened [you] with His gifts, sanctified and kept [you] in the true faith” (Luther’s Small Catechism, Third Article).
Through His powerful Word, God made you His own child in Holy Baptism. Through His Word, He imparts the forgiveness of your sins. Through His Word, He strengthens your faith. Through His Word, He comforts you when you experience the loss of good things in this life. Through His Word, He prepares you to meet the angels with confidence and joy when they arrive to take your soul to heaven.
Through His Word, you have received many good things, eternal things, things that make you richer than Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, or Elon Musk. One day, all the riches they worked so hard for will slip through their fingers just like sand. Money can buy neither happiness nor salvation. You were ransomed from your greed and selfishness, from sin and death, “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1Pe. 1:18-19).
He offered Himself up for you and every poor beggar, so that your hands are washed clean of all your sins. He also lived a completely holy life on your behalf, perfectly loving and helping His neighbors in need. He places the treasures of His forgiveness and righteousness in your hands, so that you are made an heir of all the treasures of heaven.
When you were younger, you dreamed of many good things, and God has blessed you with the earthly gifts of home, family, and friends beyond what you could have imagined. But He has much greater things in store for you than these. Jesus secured the treasures of heaven for you. You will receive them like Lazarus did, when the angels come to carry your soul to the kingdom of light. Then you won’t remember the troubles of this life, and all the good and holy things of God will be yours forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from painting of the beggar Lazarus by Fyodor Bronnikov, 1886)
The Festival of the Holy Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
In Christ Jesus, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever, dear fellow redeemed:
The Apostles’ Creed
The word “creed” comes from the Latin word “credo,” which means “I believe.” That’s how the first two ecumenical creeds begin, with the words “I believe.” The creeds state what the Christian believes about God based on the teaching of the Bible.
While not all Christians today recite a creed when they gather for worship, the use of creeds dates back to the Old Testament era. Moses taught the people of Israel a basic creed about God which is recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” In the New Testament, the apostle Paul wrote creed-like details about the life of Christ in his First Letter to the Corinthians: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (15:3-4).
The structure for the Apostles’ Creed comes from the great commission which Jesus gave to His disciples after His resurrection. He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mat. 28:19). As the apostles went about this work, they naturally had to explain who this Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were.
While there is no historical evidence that the apostles themselves wrote the creed we have, an early version of the creed was in use as early as the year 150. The creed is clearly based on the inspired writings of the apostles, which is why it is known as the “Apostles’ Creed.” It is also known as the “Baptismal Creed” due to its connection to Jesus’ trinitarian words, and because in the early Christian Church it was recited by adult catechumens before they were baptized.
The first article describes God the Father as “Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.” “Almighty” means there is no limit to His power. He made everything out of nothing by the power of His Word. The universe did not come about from a big bang and an evolutionary process taking millions of years. It came about because “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).
The second article describes the work of God the Son. Though He was certainly active in the creation of all things, the creed especially focuses on His incarnation, His taking on of human flesh in the virgin Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Son of God became Man so that He could be crucified and die in our place for our sins, descend into hell to proclaim His victory over the devil, and rise from the dead in triumph. He ascended into heaven to the right hand of His Father to serve the members of His Church until His coming on the last day to judge the living and the dead.
The third article of the Apostles’ Creed describes the work of God the Holy Spirit. Through the powerful Word and Sacraments of God, the Holy Spirit calls sinners to repentance and faith. That’s what He did for each of us, making us members of the holy Christian Church through Holy Baptism. This Church of believers, invisible to our eyes but known by God, is the communion of saints, the gathering of Christ’s people who are joined to His body by faith, and who eat and drink His body and blood for the remission of their sins. The Holy Spirit continuously brings us this forgiveness, so that we are prepared for our earthly end and look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting.
Please turn to page 94. Let us confess our holy faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed. [then hymn #37 – “We All Believe in One True God”]
The Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is an expanded version of the Apostles’ Creed. The first draft of this creed was written in the year 325 at the Council of Nicaea, and it was finalized in 381. This creed was needed to settle a doctrinal controversy that was troubling the church. A theologian named Arius was promoting the teaching that the Son of God is not equal to the Father in power and glory, but that He is actually a special being created by the Father. Arius came up with catchy songs to spread his false teaching that “there was a time when he was not” (Arius’ slogan).
The controversy became so heated that the Roman emperor Constantine called an ecumenical council, meaning a council for the entire church. Arius and his followers came, as did the theologians who opposed them. One of these was the pastor Nicholas of Myra, whose practice of charitable giving inspired the later legend of “jolly old St. Nicholas.” Another attendee was a young pastor named Athanasius. He became a leader in the dispute against Arius and argued convincingly from the Scriptures that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God from eternity. This is why we use the word “triune” to describe God. The three Persons are one God.
The first article about God the Father is nearly the same as in the Apostles’ Creed, except that it adds that He is the “Maker… of all things visible and invisible.” This wording comes from Colossians 1:16 which says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” The invisible part of God’s creation includes the holy angels which serve God and His people.
The second article of the Nicene Creed is the longest one. It clearly describes the Son as being one God with the Father. It says He is “begotten” of the Father. This is a term that shows how God the Father and God the Son have been from eternity. God the Son is always and forever begotten of God the Father. He is “begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made” (see Joh. 1:1-3, Heb. 1:2).
The Nicene Creed has traditionally been connected to and spoken at a service with Holy Communion, so that everyone clearly understands that the Son who gives His body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar is true God.
The third article about God the Holy Spirit is also expanded in the Nicene Creed. The Holy Spirit is described as the “Lord”—true God. His relation to the other Persons in the Godhead is not as one who is begotten, but one who “proceeds from the Father and the Son.” His work is to speak what He hears from the Father and the Son, to take what is theirs and give it to us (Joh. 16:13-15). He inspired the prophets to write the words of the Old Testament and the evangelists and apostles to write the words of the New Testament. He continues to work powerfully through the inspired Word to convert hearts to faith in Jesus.
The primary means that He uses to bring people into the “one holy Christian and Apostolic Church” is Holy Baptism. Baptism is not a commitment we make to God or something that needs to be done multiple times like many Christians today teach. Along with the early Christian Church, we acknowledge in the Nicene Creed “one Baptism for the remission of sins.”
Please turn to page 95. Let us confess our holy faith in the words of the Nicene Creed. [then hymn #38 – “We All Believe in One True God” (Luther)]
The Athanasian Creed
The earliest evidence of the Athanasian Creed dates to the mid-400s. Since Athanasius died in the year 373, it is likely that this creed was named in honor of his work to defend the faith and was not written by Athanasius himself. It is significantly longer than the other two ecumenical creeds because it gives great detail about what can and cannot be said about the Triune God on the basis of the Bible. We only use it in church twice a year, but it is a wonderful instructional tool for study at home and for conversation with other Christians who may not be clear on this teaching.
At the very beginning of the creed, it might surprise us to see a reference to the “catholic faith.” The word “catholic” means “universal.” It does not mean the “Roman Catholic faith,” though the Roman Church also confesses the three ecumenical creeds as we do. The universal faith, “the true Christian faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the Persons nor dividing the substance.”
The end of the Athanasian Creed gives familiar language like the other two creeds about the Son of God. But then it says that at Christ’s coming, “all will rise again with their bodies and will give an account of their own works.” That wording comes from Hebrews 4:13 which says that “no creature is hidden from his sight… to whom we must give account.” But we do not need to fear the Day of Judgment since Jesus paid for all our sins and has filled our account with His righteous words and works.
Then the creed says, “And they that have done good will enter into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.” This is another reference from the Bible where Jesus says, “an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (Joh. 5:28-29). Jesus is not teaching us to trust our own good works to get to heaven. He is making a distinction between believers and unbelievers. Believers do good by the faith the Holy Spirit has worked in them, while unbelievers do evil because they rejected God’s grace. Believers are saved by faith in what Jesus has done; unbelievers are condemned by their own unbelief.
Please turn to page 29. Let us confess our holy faith in the words of the Athanasian Creed. [then hymn #43, vv. 1-4 – “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”]
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture depicts Emperor Constantine and the bishops from the Council of Nicaea)
The Fifth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Samuel 15:1-15
In Christ Jesus, no counterfeit ruler, no charlatan who deceives for personal gain, but a King who gave up His life for your salvation, dear fellow redeemed:
Everyone liked Absalom. For one thing, he was very good looking. The Scriptures say that “From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him” (2Sa. 14:25). Once a year, he cut his hair because it got so heavy, and what he cut off weighed about five pounds. There was no one like him.
The other reason Absalom was so well-liked was because he was very good at telling people what they wanted to hear. He was a master of flattery. He would sit each day at the city gate in Jerusalem, and he would warmly receive everyone who arrived there. He would pretend to care about their business, and he would act like his father, King David, had no real interest in their concerns. He would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” And when anyone would honor him, he would return the honor in a show of humility. In this way, we are told, “Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”
Absalom behaved in this manner for four years. What I haven’t mentioned yet, is that Absalom was a murderer. He took revenge against his brother Amnon and had Amnon killed. After doing this Absalom fled, and King David did not allow him to return to Jerusalem for three years. When Absalom did return, David refused to see him. Two years after this, Absalom manipulated one of David’s servants and gained access again to his father. And David forgave his son.
That interaction comes immediately before what we learn about today with Absalom actively working against his father. So all Israel was being drawn to the king’s son, a murderer, who had no respect for his father or his office as king. The main Commandment in view in today’s reading is the Fourth Commandment, “Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.”
You might recall the way David referred to King Saul while King Saul in his jealousy was trying to have David killed. David referred to him as “the Lord’s anointed” and as “my Lord” (1Sa. 24, 26). Even though Saul was not respectable, David showed respect for the office. In the same way, we are to show respect for the authorities starting in our own homes. Colossians 3:20 says, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”
Children are to honor, respect, and obey their parents at all times. If their parents tell them to clean their room, help around the house, or whatever they tell them to do, their children are to obey them as though the Lord Himself told them to do this. The only exception to this Commandment is if parents tell their children to do something that God says is wrong; for example, to do harm to someone or to take someone’s possessions.
This respect also applies to authority outside the home. We are to have respect for teachers, employers, pastors, and government officials, among others. We respect these individuals not because they are always respectable, and not because we like everything they do, but because God has established these authorities. If there were no authority, there would be no law and order. There would be chaos. God has given authority for our good, even if it doesn’t always seem good.
The people of Israel knew the Fourth Commandment. They knew they were to honor the king. They knew Absalom was honoring neither the king nor his father. That should have been a tremendous red flag. That should have told them that perhaps Absalom was not king material. But they let themselves be duped by him. He was an important person—a prince. He was good looking. He made them feel special.
He also told them what they wanted to hear. He told them that all their claims, their ideas, and their concerns, were good and right. That is a danger for us, too, in both civil and spiritual matters. We can be all too eager to listen to the politician who makes promises that he probably can’t keep, but that we love to hear. We like to be told that all our claims, our ideas, and our concerns, are good and right. And in being greedy to get what we want, it is only too easy to ignore the needs and concerns of our neighbors.
In spiritual matters, if we are only looking for a preacher or teacher who tells us what we want to hear, then we will be less and less willing to be corrected and challenged and taught by the Word of God. St. Paul says that in the last days people will have “itching ears.” “They will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2Ti. 4:3-4). We don’t need an echo chamber. We need the Holy Spirit through the powerful Word to change us and shape us and mold us into what God has called us to be.
This is what Jesus did for Peter and the other disciples. He gave them a tremendous catch of fish, when previously they had been unable to catch anything. When he saw this, Peter fell down before Jesus and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luk. 5:8). Now Jesus going away is the last thing that Peter needed, but he clearly saw that he was not worthy to be in the Lord’s presence which was certainly true. Instead of going away, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (v. 10).
Jesus authorized Peter and the other disciples to preach the powerful Word. They would not be selfishly trying to draw people away from Jesus; they would be pointing people to Jesus. Jesus was not going to steal the throne of any earthly king. He already was the King of all heaven and earth. So what was He doing down here in human flesh? What was His purpose? What was His plan?
Absalom commissioned fifty men to run in front of him, while he rode on a chariot to take his position at the city gate. He wanted everyone to think he was important. Then he told whatever lie he had to to please them. Jesus did the opposite of all this. The Son of God entered the world through a lowly woman named Mary, a descendant of King David, and His coming was heralded by none but the shepherds. Jesus gained followers for Himself not through flattery and deceit but through teaching the truth.
He did not sit at the city gate coaxing people away from the authorities. He did not come to put on a show of His greatness or to manipulate people to do what He wanted. He came in all humility as a servant to redeem the world of sinners. He went from place to place telling people the good news of the kingdom. He healed the sick and the hurting. He fed the hungry and spared the demon-possessed. He did not look out for His own interests but for the interests of others.
As a leader, He was nothing like Absalom. There were no red flags with Jesus. Everything He said was good and right. He upheld the Commandments perfectly, including God’s command to honor father and mother and every authority. He didn’t just talk the talk; He walked the walk.
And that is why you are presented righteous before God today. However you have disrespected and dishonored your parents, your teachers, your employers, law enforcement officials, or anyone else in governing positions, God forgives these sins. They were counted against Jesus who paid for every sin on the cross. By faith in Him, His righteousness is now credited to you, so that God sees you as having no sin, as having no blemish on your record that stands between you and the perfection of heaven.
This is what He tells you in His holy Word. This is what He continues to commission men to preach and teach to you. Like Simon Peter, your pastors are imperfect men, and they know it. But they point you to the perfect Savior. This Gospel message is how sinners are “caught” for the kingdom of God. It is not a message to work against the ruling authorities or destroy the institutions of government. It is a message of peace between God and man because Jesus the God-Man stepped in as our Substitute.
We want to fix our hope on this message. Popular, influential people like Absalom will keep coming along with their plots and plans. They will appeal to us with their smooth talk and flattering words. They will promise us great personal gain and prosperity. But almost as soon as they gain power, they are gone again. Psalm 146 says, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish” (vv. 3-4).
We put our trust not in princes, but in the King of kings and Lord of lords. An earthly son of man cannot save us, but the Son of God and Son of Man can. He is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Joh. 14:6). His Word does not mislead us. His Word “is a lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] path” (Psa. 119:105). He calls us to follow His Word in good times and in bad, in times of prosperity and times of trouble.
No matter how strange, outdated, or ineffective people think God’s Word is today, it remains powerful just as He is powerful. His Word is the source of our faith and the means by which He grants us eternal life. His strong Word will endure as rulers come and go and as kingdoms rise and fall. Everything in this world eventually fails and falls apart, but “the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8).
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture of the miraculous catch of fish by Raphael, 1515)
The Fourth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 2 Samuel 9
In Christ Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit is ever rich in mercy toward us sinners, dear fellow redeemed:
In ancient times, it often happened that when a king was defeated by an adversary, not only was he killed or imprisoned but so were his sons and grandsons. The new king would not risk a member of the former royal family challenging his throne. But David did not do this. He made promises to both King Saul and his son Jonathan that he would not exterminate the family when his time came to reign, but that he would show kindness to them.
Saul and three of his sons were killed in the same battle against the Philistines (1Sa. 31). When the nurse of Saul’s grandson heard the news of their deaths, she expected that Saul’s enemies would seek to kill all his family members. So she picked up the five-year-old boy and fled with him, “and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth” (2Sa. 4:4). When the last of Saul’s sons was later murdered, this left the crippled Mephibosheth as the only male heir of Saul.
David showed kindness to him not because he was worthy of it, but because David was merciful. He showed mercy because the LORD had been merciful to him. We, too, have opportunities each day to reflect the mercy to others that God has shown to us. God has not called us to show mercy only to those who treat us well and have earned our respect. He calls us to show mercy to all people, just as He has done.
Jesus says in today’s Holy Gospel, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luk. 6:36). Our mercy does not start with us; it starts with our heavenly Father. If it had to start with us, it would never happen. We learn mercy from Him. “For God so loved the world, that he gave” (Joh. 3:16). He looked upon each member of the human race as a lost sheep that must be saved and not as an enemy that must be punished. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (v. 17). He sent His Son to die on the cross, so that our many sins are not counted against us but are blotted out by His blood.
God has not given us what we deserved. He is merciful—full of mercy toward us. He has redeemed us from our sin and brought us to faith in Him. By faith in Jesus, we are credited with His perfection. We are covered by His righteousness. His perfect mercifulness is attributed to us. As members of His holy body, we get to participate in His mercy work. We get to serve as His hands and feet and mouth in a world that needs His mercy.
Throughout its history, the Christian Church has shown mercy in countless ways. Christians have founded hospitals, orphanages, and care facilities around the world. They have protected those who are most vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly. They have shown mercy to the poor, weak, sick, and handicapped. When disasters struck, they were the first to pitch in and help. They have promoted justice and fairness even for those who despised them and their beliefs. The whole world has experienced the mercy of the Christian Church.
But is the Christian Church carrying out this vital mercy work today? In many places it is, but there is a lot more to be done. Some in society have a positive view of the Church; they see the acts of kindness and love that are taking place, the ways that Christians are helping the helpless. But for many others, their view of the Church is that “Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites; they talk a good game but rarely do what they say.” Or, they say, “the Church only cares about taking our money.”
We can’t deny that there is a lot of hypocrisy, selfishness, and greed in the visible Christian Church. We don’t have the power to make these problems go away, and we don’t need some high-priced PR campaign to try to change people’s perceptions about the Church on earth. There will always be sin in the visible Christian Church. But for our part, we can focus on showing love and mercy to the people around us who need our help.
One of the things that keeps us from taking action is that we wait for others to take the lead. When we hear about the mercy work of the Church, we might think that the Church as an institution or each individual congregation has to organize this. “I’m willing to get to work,” we say, “if someone tells me where to be and what to do.” But the Church is not primarily an institution or a social service organization. The Church consists of all believers in Jesus.
You are the Church. You are the help and support that your neighbors need. You are the reflection of God’s love in your community. You don’t need to wait for someone to tell you where and when to have mercy. God presents these opportunities to you as you carry out your vocations, as you go about your regular activities, as you open your eyes and ears to the needs of the people around you.
Like David, we want to show mercy for mercy’s sake and not for personal gain. We want to humbly pursue acts of love and service toward others because we are children of the all-merciful God. That mercy starts in our own homes with our spouse, our children, our parents, our siblings. Then it branches out to our fellow congregation members, our next-door neighbors, the people we go to school with or work with, and the needy in places outside our communities. St. Paul writes by inspiration, “let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).
We are especially called to do good to our fellow believers in Christ. That should be obvious since we are united in our understanding and appreciation of God’s mercy and grace toward us. But it is often the case that the people we are closest to are the ones we consistently struggle to show love and mercy to. Maybe this is because we take them for granted, or because we expect more from them than we do from others whom we don’t know as well. But mercy needs to start right at home in “the household of faith.”
Part of doing good and showing mercy is not being too quick to judge and condemn, as Jesus teaches in today’s Holy Gospel (Luk. 6:36-42). It means being eager to forgive, ignoring the speck in a brother’s eye, and being honest about the log of sin in our own eye. This is challenging work. We can think of many times that we fell short of this. Instead of showing mercy, we held a grudge and hoped that others would feel the hurt that we did. Or we decided that someone wasn’t worthy of receiving our mercy; they were too far below us.
But look at what powerful King David did. He restored all the land of King Saul to his grandson Mephibosheth, even though Saul often tried to have David killed. David also honored Mephibosheth by giving him a place at his table. It was pure mercy, and Mephibosheth knew it. He said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
Our merciful Lord has done the same thing for us. Mephibosheth was in the line of a failed king, and he was lame in both feet. We were lost in the devil’s kingdom, and we were crippled by our sin. But God sought us out, brought us before His mercy seat, and announced that we would be honored members of His kingdom. He put His name on us at our Baptism and invited us to eat and drink at His holy table.
Anyone who knows us—the mistakes we’ve made, the sins we’ve committed—might wonder how the Lord could possibly look on us with such favor. They could point out the many times that we failed to show mercy, acted selfishly, judged others as lower than ourselves, pridefully refused to help. But like Mephibosheth who did nothing to merit David’s mercy, we have received everything from God by His grace. Our merciful Lord says, “I forgive you all your sins. I won’t count them against you now or ever. Come and join Me at My table.”
It is a joy to join the King at His table along with our brothers and sisters in Christ. None of us deserves to be here. None of us has earned this mercy. But we have it in full. Our Lord Is Full of Mercy Toward Us, and He has plenty of mercy to share with other helpless sinners like us. We pray that He keeps us ready for opportunities to share His mercy by our words and actions, so that others are blessed to know along with us His unchanging love. “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever” (Psa. 106:1).
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from “The Sermon on the Mount” by Carl Bloch, 1877)
The Second Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 2 Samuel 7:4-16
In Christ Jesus, who invites you to sit at His banquet in His house and receive His gifts, dear fellow redeemed:
You might enjoy watching the television shows about home renovation. Some shows even feature the total gutting and rebuilding of a home’s interior with only the essential structure of the house staying the same. Maybe you are already living in your “dream house,” but you probably have ideas how it could be updated and improved. And if someone offered to remodel your home at no cost to you, you would likely jump at the chance.
King David thought the LORD would appreciate a better “house,” so to speak. After all, David was living comfortably in a “house of cedar,” while the Ark of the LORD sat “in a tent” (2Sa. 7:2). He made his intention known to the prophet Nathan that he wanted to build the LORD a house, a great temple. It seemed like a good, right, and salutary idea.
But the LORD did not respond as David expected. First of all, the LORD said that He did not ask for a temple. If He wanted one, He would have commanded it done. Second, He reminded David that He took him from tending sheep in Bethlehem to ruling over all Israel. Whatever the all-powerful LORD wants to accomplish will happen. Third, He promised to make David’s name great and prosper the nation. Fourth, God said He would make David a house, but not one made out of cedar or stone. He said that David’s throne and kingdom would be established forever. This was a reference to the Savior Jesus who would come from David’s line.
So David had a wonderful gift planned for God, and God’s response was to direct David back to His gifts, particularly His gift of salvation through His only-begotten Son. It was a gentle lesson that was not meant for David only, but for us too. We can think so much of the gifts we give to God that we fail to honor Him in the best way, which is to believe what He says and to humbly receive what He offers.
Now this does not mean that the gifts we offer to the LORD and the sacrifices we make are meaningless to Him. God desires that we pray, praise, and give thanks to Him, that we live holy lives according to His Commandments, that we love one another out of love for Him, and that we give generously for the work of His kingdom. He loves all these gifts.
But it can happen that even these good things become sins. We can have a wonderful habit of Bible study and prayer each day, but then we find ourselves going through the motions or thinking that we are righteous because of what we are doing. We can watch carefully how we live and how we speak, but then we judge others for not being as good as we are. We can give generously toward the work of the church, but instead of giving humbly and quietly, we want to have our gifts be known and recognized.
When we think too much and make too much of our works, our view of God’s grace becomes clouded. We start to think that we are among the “good people,” who are nothing like the “bad people” who don’t do these nice and beneficial things. This self-righteous attitude ignores the fact that by nature we are no better than anyone else. Even as Christians, we still sin all the time, as Luther’s explanation of the Fifth Petition reminds us: “we daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment.”
No matter how good and right our gifts to God may seem, they are always tainted by our sin. They are never perfectly holy. This is why the LORD’s message to David was so important for him and for us. God doesn’t need a magnificent temple. He doesn’t need beautiful, ornate church buildings. He doesn’t need us to save His kingdom. He brings His kingdom to us; He saves us; He meets us in our lowliness and sin; He gives His gifts to us. One of our hymnwriters puts it like this:
Surely in temples made with hands
God, the Most High, is not dwelling,
High above earth His temple stands,
All earthly temples excelling.
Yet He whom heav’ns cannot contain
Chose to abide on earth with men—
Built in our bodies His temple.
(Evangelical Lutheran Hynmary #211, v. 2)
The almighty God “chose to abide on earth with men.” The eternal Son of God was born of Mary, a descendant of King David. This was just what God had promised David. The LORD said to him, “I will raise up your Offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. I will be to Him a father, and He shall be to Me a Son.” Some of the Jews interpreted this and other prophecies to mean that the Messiah would reign over an earthly kingdom. This is why the crowds were so excited to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Their Messiah-King had finally arrived!
But Jesus did not come to rule over an earthly kingdom like David’s. He came to redeem all sinners and to take His place as God and Man at the right hand of His Father. The way He would redeem sinners was also conveyed to David. God said regarding the Christ: “When He commits iniquity, I will discipline Him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but My steadfast love will not depart from Him.” Jesus never committed any sin of His own, but “For our sake [God] made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2Co. 5:21). Jesus was punished as if He were the one who committed all sin—the sin of every human being in every time and place.
This punishment from God for sin was carried out on Jesus by the hands of sinners. Jesus was punished “with the rod of men” and “with the stripes of the sons of men.” This is exactly the way the prophet Isaiah described it after David: “He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed” (53:5). When Jesus was being struck with the rod and whip and nailed to the cross, this was really God the Father meting out punishment on His Son for our sin.
The LORD did not require something from us before He would do something for us. He did not demand gifts before He would give gifts. The Son willingly went to the cross to save us, and the Father accepted His sacrifice on our behalf. It was a truly perfect offering that covers over the imperfections of our offerings, and it was the sufficient payment for all our sins. After His death and resurrection with His work complete, Jesus ascended into heaven in order to “[give] gifts to men” (Eph. 4:8).
In His position at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, Jesus invites you to partake of the banquet that today’s Holy Gospel describes (Luk. 14:16-24). This banquet is served wherever God’s powerful Word and Sacraments are found. Jesus warmly invites you here in this humble house to be His honored guest. You have been washed clean in the holy waters of your Baptism. You are clothed in the garments of His righteousness. By faith, you are prepared to receive His gifts.
“Everything is now ready,” He says. The rich food and drink He sets before you is the free forgiveness of all your sins. Whatever those sins may be, such as your inclination to trust in your own righteousness, your judgmental attitude toward others, or your pride because of what you have accomplished—all of these sins are blotted out by Jesus’ precious blood. He gives you to feast on His life, His salvation, His love, His peace, His joy. These are the gifts you receive at His banquet.
You Need the Gifts of God far more than He needs gifts from you. David said, “I will build you a house,” and the LORD replied, “No, I will build you a house!” Every good gift comes from God, as the Book of James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (1:17). When you offer gifts to God, you are simply returning to Him a portion of what He has given you, whether it is your money, your strength, your intellect, or your time. It all comes from Him.
When you feel as though you have done something great for God, remember what He has done and continues to do for you. Like a house that needs work, your life on earth always needs renovating and improving, and your gifts to God will not be perfect. But His home and His gifts are. By the gifts He gives you through His Word and Sacraments here, He prepares you to enter His heavenly home where you will live with Him forever.
Now we may gather with our King
E’en in the lowliest dwelling;
Praises to Him we there may bring,
His wondrous mercy forth-telling;
Jesus His grace to us accords,
Spirit and life are all His words,
His truth doth hallow the temple.
(ELH #211, v. 4)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(woodcut of the poor, the blind, and the lame being invited to the banquet from the 1880 edition of The Story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation)
The First Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Samuel 24:1-22
In Christ Jesus, who “works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed” (Psa. 103:6), so that we always have hope, dear fellow redeemed:
Last week, we heard how young David took down the champion Goliath with no sword or spear in his hand. This made David a hero to all the people of Israel. By David’s hand, the LORD had delivered them from the Philistines. When the Israelites returned from battle, the women met King Saul with singing and dancing. “Saul has struck down his thousands,” they sang, “and David his ten thousands” (1Sa. 18:7). It was quite a compliment to say that Saul had struck down thousands. But he was very angry that the song praised David even more highly than himself. From that point on, Saul looked at David with suspicion and as a threat to his throne.
It is true that David would take Saul’s throne. The LORD had chosen David for this, and the prophet Samuel had already anointed him as the next king. But David would not take the throne by force. Saul had nothing to worry about in that regard. At every step of the way, David showed himself to be a loyal servant to Saul. But sinful envy and jealousy do not often stand on evidence and reason, and they don’t result in anything productive. The proverb says, “For jealousy makes a man furious” (6:34).
Jealousy made Saul furious. David was and could have continued to be a source of great success for Saul. Saul’s kingdom and rule could have expanded. Instead, Saul wanted to destroy David. On multiple occasions, when a harmful spirit came upon Saul, and David was playing music for him, Saul threw his spear at David (1Sa. 18:11, 19:10). Another time, he tried to have David ambushed and killed at his house (19:11). Each time, David escaped which made Saul even more afraid of him.
Today’s account shows how far Saul was willing to go to kill David, pursing him even into the wilderness where David and his men were hiding in a cave. David did not deserve this. He had done nothing wrong to Saul. How many times had he played music for him when Saul was troubled? He had never gone against him. How had he become Saul’s enemy?
You have wondered the same thing if you have ever been targeted or bullied by a classmate, a coworker, a boss, or a neighbor. You wonder: How did I get on this person’s bad side? What have I done to deserve this? These experiences hurt. Even years later, you can remember the pain of being singled out, attacked, feeling alone. You wish there were a way to make the unjust treatment stop. You wish there were a way to get justice.
Now there isn’t a great distance between the desire for justice and the desire to have revenge. The desire for justice can be godly; the desire for revenge is not. Let’s take the example of one sibling picking on or provoking another. If the sibling who has been harmed brings the matter to the proper authorities—his parents—he will have justice. But if he lashes out at the sibling who offended him and strikes back, he may have gotten revenge, but he has also gotten himself in trouble. And he won’t really receive the justice he might have deserved.
Revenge never brings the satisfaction that we think it will. Our natural, knee-jerk response is to hurt the person who hurt us. But causing someone else to feel pain does not make my pain go away. Imagine if David had stabbed Saul to death in that cave. Perhaps Saul’s men would not have known who did it. But David’s men would have. And what kind of precedent would that have set for them? Wouldn’t it teach them that as soon as they felt wronged by David, they would have the right to take his life? And imagine the burden on David’s conscience, the burden of knowing he had murdered Saul.
David opted instead to leave the matter to the LORD. He recognized that as evil as Saul was acting toward him, he was still “the LORD’s anointed.” As long as the LORD allowed Saul to remain the king, David would continue to rely on the LORD for justice. It was all in the LORD’s hand. David held up the corner of Saul’s robe as proof that he could have harmed him but didn’t and said, “May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.”
Now David had put himself in a very vulnerable position. He had just revealed his presence to Saul. Saul could have ordered his three thousand men to charge the cave, and David with his small number of men would have likely perished. We also make ourselves vulnerable by not going on “attack mode” against our enemies. Doesn’t that just leave us exposed to further attacks by them? If we don’t try to “take them down a notch” and “give them a taste of their own medicine,” won’t they just continue to wrong us and treat us even worse?
The inspired Epistle to the Romans says, “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Rom. 12:17-19). We don’t need to take revenge because God promises that He will take care of it. He knows what injustices have been done. He sees every wrong that we experience. And He promises to make everything right in the long run.
That is difficult for us because we don’t want to wait for justice. How long does God expect us to sit still? One month? One year? Ten years? How long will our enemies go unpunished for their evil deeds? It is popular in our culture to talk about “karma”—that bad things will happen to bad people, and good things will happen to good people. But that is not how it works. We don’t always see people get the punishment they deserve. Being on the lookout for “karma” is the same as being focused on revenge.
That is how the world would write the account of the rich man and poor Lazarus (Luk. 16:19-31). Somehow, someway, the places of the rich man and the beggar would be switched. The rich-man-turned-beggar would learn the hard way how selfish he had been and end up with nothing, and the beggar-turned-rich-man would laugh all the way to the bank. But that isn’t how it went. The beggar whom no one wanted to help died, and the rich man kept on throwing his lavish feasts. Justice was not done in this life, but it was done in eternity. Lazarus who trusted in the LORD was brought to heaven. The rich man who trusted in his riches was sent to hell.
Like Lazarus, we don’t always receive good things on earth. Sometimes we suffer unjustly while our enemies prosper. It isn’t fun. It doesn’t seem fair. But it is the way of our Lord Jesus. St. Peter wrote that “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1Pe. 2:22-23). No one was treated more unjustly than Jesus. He did nothing wrong, but He was attacked, tormented, and nailed to a cross.
Justice was not done in Jerusalem. The justice system of the Jews and the Romans failed. But on a higher level, justice was done. Jesus bore this injustice and carried these griefs and sorrows for the salvation of the whole world. He took on Himself all the mistreatments, injustices, evils, and violence that sinners had perpetuated against one another. And more than that, He took on Himself all the wickedness that we sinners had done against the holy God.
This is where we remember our place. We might feel we are treated badly by others. But what makes us think we deserve so much good? What we deserve is the same punishment the rich man received in hell. We deserve to have to pay for all of our sins. But that is not what we get. What we get is forgiveness, righteousness, and life from the gracious hand of our God. He does not treat us like enemies. He does not pay us back for our sins. He saw that justice was done on our behalf by His Son who gave Himself in our place. He paid for our sins to reconcile us with the all-powerful, all-holy God.
And this was David’s comfort as well, that even if Saul opposed him, God did not. His life was in the LORD’s hand just as Saul’s was. He had no right to take Saul’s life. Shortly after the LORD says “Vengeance is mine” in Deuteronomy 32, He says, “there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand” (vv. 35, 39). That is a warning to those who oppose Him. But it is a promise to all who put their trust in Him.
Your merciful LORD gave you life, He redeemed your soul, and brought you to saving faith. He gives you this day your daily bread—everything you need for your existence on earth. He guards and protects you from threats you are not even aware of. And when you do suffer, He strengthens you through His Word to endure.
Because He is with you, because you are on His side, you never stand alone. Even if the entire world opposes you, and there seems to be no way to turn, you are safe with Him. Your Life Is in the LORD’s Hand.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(woodcut of Lazarus and the angels from 1880 edition of The Story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation)
The Festival of the Holy Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Samuel 17:32-50
In Christ Jesus, the seemingly overmatched Challenger who conquered our fierce and giant enemies without sword or spear, dear fellow redeemed:
“You shall have no other gods” (Exo. 20:3). This is the First Commandment recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. All the other Commandments follow after the first one. Because there is no other god than the LORD, we should respect His name (Second Commandment), listen to His Word (Third Commandment), honor the authorities He has placed over us (Fourth Commandment), and so on. That all makes good sense. But how can we know that the God we fear, love, and trust is actually the true God?
If you were standing on the battle line with the Israelites as they faced the Philistines, you might have guessed that the Philistines had stronger gods. For forty days, morning and evening, a great Philistine champion named Goliath stepped forward and challenged the Israelites to send someone to fight him one on one. Goliath said, “If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us” (1Sa. 17:9).
No one was willing to face him, not even the warrior-king Saul. Whenever Goliath stepped forward, the Israelites cowered in fear (vv. 11, 24). None of them believed they could defeat him. No matter how much Goliath ridiculed their God and appealed to his own gods, they would not take courage and fight him. They did not trust the LORD to deliver them from their enemies.
But then David came to visit his older brothers. David was too young to join the Israelite army, but his father sent him to bring food to his brothers and their commander. While he was there, he heard Goliath’s taunts and immediately responded, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v. 26). David’s bold statement was repeated to Saul, and David soon found himself standing before the king.
For all Saul’s military successes in the past, he was not willing to fight Goliath. He did not trust in the LORD to deliver Israel. What a contrast there was between the faithlessness and fear of this seasoned military man and the faith and courage of this young shepherd-boy! We older Christians experience something similar when we hear the clear confession and cheerful faith of Jesus’ little lambs and feel ashamed at our own doubts and weakness.
So young David went forward to meet fierce Goliath. David had nothing with him but a staff and five smooth stones for his sling, compared with Goliath’s heavy bronze armor, javelin, and spear with a shield-bearer in front of him. When Goliath saw David, he “cursed [him] by his gods,” and promised to “give his flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” David for his part replied, “I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand.”
But what made David so sure? How did he know that by the power of his God, he would defeat Goliath with his gods? Our culture today says that there is no way to be certain that one person’s god is any better than another person’s god. Or it is commonly said that all of us really worship the same god, though we may refer to him (or it) by different names and follow different religious books. The problem is that people think of gods in human terms, as though we humans have made up the idea of gods to help ourselves cope or to hold on to some kind of hope.
Any Christian who reads his Bible cannot say that all religions worship the same God. The consistent teaching of the Bible is that the true God is to be distinguished from the gods of all other peoples and nations. The Athanasian Creed, which we recite every year on this Sunday, very clearly states what the Bible teaches about God: “[W]e worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the Persons nor dividing the substance…. [W]e are forbidden by the true Christian faith to say that there are three gods or three lords…. Whoever will be saved is compelled thus to think of the Holy Trinity” (ELH, pp. 29-30).
The God revealed in the Bible is one God but three distinct Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is not like any other gods. He does not operate like other gods. He is not limited in any way like other gods are. The gods created by man’s imagination will naturally have limitations and imperfections. The God who made all things, including us, does not have such limitations and imperfections. He is all-powerful, all-wise, all-holy, present everywhere. He cannot be weakened or defeated. There may be men and demons who pretend to be gods, but the LORD our God is the only true God.
Now if that is really the case, then why does it seem like we Christians are not always on the winning side of things? Our churches which teach the pure Word of God are often smaller than other churches that openly compromise His Word. Our culture is becoming more and more secular, and Christianity in our country does not appear to have the impact it once did. Churches are closing. Moral standards are disintegrating. Lawlessness is increasing, and the love of many grows cold (Mat. 24:12).
We in the church may feel like we face a whole army of Goliaths as we look around us in the world. This makes us cower in fear, go silent, and take whatever measures we think are necessary to stay good with the world. At the heart of our fear and our failure to speak the truth is our lack of faith in the true God. We have doubts—what if God does not keep us safe from our enemies? What if we lose everything we value in this life? What if God is not as powerful or as loving as He says He is?
I suspect the Israelite soldiers were not very optimistic when they saw a boy with a sling make his way toward Goliath. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were preparing to make a run for it instead of preparing to fight. The disciples of Jesus ended up the same way. They made a show of their willingness to fight to the death for Him, but in the end, they ran away scared. The disciples were not ready to die.
But Jesus was. Jesus, with a crown of thorns on His head and a cross on His shoulders, looked no more prepared to do battle against sin, devil, and death than David looked prepared to fight Goliath. Jesus looked weak, pathetic, powerless to do anything against His enemies. The people mocking Jesus at the cross cursed Him in the name of their gods and eagerly anticipated “[giving] his flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
On Good Friday, no one thought that Jesus was winning. No one understood that He was making satisfaction for all sin and destroying the kingdom of the devil. No one anticipated His victorious resurrection that coming Sunday. They were looking at Jesus all wrong. They were judging by outward appearances. What they needed was faith in His Word. Jesus told them that all this would happen, and He told them why. He said He would suffer, die, and rise again for the salvation of all sinners.
Like David facing Goliath, Jesus did not flinch; He faced sin, devil, and death head on. “For the battle is the LORD’s,” He said, “and He will give you into our hand.” He put His trust in His heavenly Father, and His trust was not disappointed. His Father accepted His sacrifice on behalf of all sinners and raised Him from the dead on the third day.
This means you are forgiven for all the times you cowered in fear when the enemies of the LORD ridiculed His Word and His people. You are forgiven for sitting in silence instead of speaking the truth. You are forgiven for your compromises, weaknesses, and doubts. Jesus shed His blood for all these sins. But that does not mean we should be comfortable and content with our fears, silence, and doubts.
Just like the Israelites took courage when they saw what David did to Goliath, we take courage when we see what Jesus did to our great enemies. After David killed Goliath and chopped off his head, the Philistine army fled, and the Israelites pursued them all the way to their city gates. We wield a different kind of weapon and wear a different kind of armor. By faith in our conquering Lord Jesus, we are clothed in His truth, righteousness, peace, and salvation, and we carry with us His powerful Word.
This is how the LORD conquers. This is how the LORD saves. “The LORD Saves Not with Sword and Spear.” He saved you by offering up His holy body and blood in your place and rising from the dead in victory. He brings this salvation to you through His Word and Sacraments. These means of grace may look like nothing to the world. Your enemies may laugh at you and ridicule you and call you out in the name of their gods for believing what you believe. But they will not prevail. Jesus is here with His powerful gifts of grace to strengthen and keep you in the saving faith, and to prepare you to face your terrible enemies in the power of His name.
In the end, every one of the world’s Goliaths will have fallen on their faces in defeat, and every little David, preserved in the faith by the Word of the LORD, will have the victory.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from “Jesus in Prison” by James Tissot, 1836-1902)
The Fifth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Peter 3:8-15
In Christ Jesus our Lord, who delivers us from all trouble and fear and leads us safely to His heavenly kingdom, dear fellow redeemed:
On June 25, 1530, the Lutheran princes stood before Emperor Charles V and read The Augsburg Confession containing twenty-eight articles, or points of teaching. Within about a month, their opponents prepared a response to each article called, The Confutation of the Augsburg Confession. After hearing this response, one of the Lutheran theologians prepared another document entitled, The Apology of the Augsburg Confession. That strikes us as strange. Why would the Lutherans be so quick to apologize for what they had confessed so boldly a year before?
Well this was not a document expressing the Lutherans’ remorse or regret for their teaching. It was a defense of their teaching. That is the historic meaning of the word “apology,” which has in more recent times taken on a different—and in some ways opposite—meaning. We find this word in today’s reading. The last verse says, “always being prepared to make a defense.” The Greek word for “make a defense” is apologia.
It is clear that St. Peter is not urging us to say we are sorry for the hope that is in us. He is urging us to be prepared to speak in defense of what we believe. If you have heard of “Christian Apologetics,” this is where the term comes from. We are to be ready to defend our faith against challenges and attacks with well-reasoned and respectful speech.
But it can be intimidating or overwhelming to think of having a conversation about spiritual things with others. We might not feel qualified to explain the faith. We don’t want to say the wrong thing. Or maybe we don’t want others to think less of us or look differently at us because we confess Jesus as Savior and Lord. What can we do to make sure we are prepared when opportunities come up?
We get prepared and we stay prepared by immersing ourselves in God’s holy Word. The better we know it, the better we will be able to explain it. It’s like if you were invited to a game show about music from the 1990s. Leading up to the show, all you would be listening to is 90s music, so you were ready for any questions you might be asked. Or if you wanted to fit in with fans of a particular sport, you would study up on it, so you could confidently “talk shop” about players and strategies.
The salvation that Jesus won for us is the most important topic there is. What He did was not just for a select group of people. He died on the cross, He defeated the devil, He conquered death for everyone, for all people of all time. What God did to save sinners is the difference between eternal life in heaven or eternal death in hell. This is not something to keep to ourselves. This is not something to just dip our toe in or only know a little bit about. The more we hear and learn God’s Word, the more natural it will be for us to both live by the Word and talk about it.
So we listen carefully to it, and we study it diligently—not just for our own sake but also for the benefit of others. Then we are always “prepared to make a defense” for the hope we have. That language, “make a defense,” could make us think in combat terms, like putting up defenses or digging trenches as a way to sort of separate ourselves or pull back from others. This is on our minds more and more as our society seems to be growing more opposed to Christian teaching. We either want to hide away, or we want to fight back with the same anger and harshness as those who oppose us.
But this is not how we are called to give a clear “apology,” a clear defense of our faith as Christians. St. Peter, who recorded today’s reading by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was writing at a time when Christians were experiencing significant persecution. In the first part of the letter he wrote, “you have been grieved by various trials” (1:6) and referred to unbelievers speaking against them as evildoers (2:12).
How should Christians respond to these attacks? Not by running away or by going on the offensive by being offensive. Peter writes, “all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless.” This fits with Jesus’ teaching about “turning the other cheek” (Mat. 5:39). We are not trying to win any battles in the world, as if conquering the world is our main focus and goal. No, we want souls to be won for Jesus and His eternal kingdom by the power of His Word.
So we want to clearly and confidently speak the Word of God. It is tempting to speak the Law only, calling out all the wrong things in our society. It’s certainly not difficult to see the evil all around us. But we also need to speak the Gospel message of Christ’s forgiveness to wounded and lost souls. The Law can affect outward behavior to some extent, but it is the Gospel that changes hearts by working faith and the Gospel that produces fruits of love toward God and neighbor.
Just before he writes about making a defense, Peter says, “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” That is what compels us to speak, to faithfully confess the truth. It is the fact that Christ is the Lord. The true Son of God and Son of Man is the Lord over sin, devil, and death. He rules over the entire universe, upholding all things “by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). Whether or not the world acknowledges and honors Him as Lord, He is the Lord.
But His reign is not seen outwardly. His kingdom is not an institution on earth. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luk. 17:20-21). The kingdom of God comes through His Word and Sacraments, and He takes up residence and reigns in our hearts when we are brought to faith.
That’s why Peter says, “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” Because we are redeemed members of the body of Christ, we give evidence of our faith through our words and actions. Christ is the Lord, and we want Him to be the Lord over every part of our life. Christ is holy, and we want His holiness to be reflected in all our conversations and interactions in this world. Our prayer is that through our words and actions of love toward our neighbor, through our gentle and respectful “apology”—our defense of the faith—others will also be brought to faith in Jesus. We want them to have the hope we have.
When unbelievers hear about our hope, they might laugh at or ridicule us. “What hope can you have?” they ask. “You struggle with troubles in life like everyone else. You die just like everyone else. Your churches keep getting smaller and smaller. What do you have that we don’t have?” That’s a fair question. I think we would be asking it, too, if we had not been adopted by God as His children. The answer is that our hope is not in worldly prosperity, in the avoidance of suffering, or in outward displays of God’s glory on earth.
Our hope is in the eternal Son of God humbling Himself and going the way of the cross to pay for our sins and save us. Our hope is in His promises that were made sure by His rising from the dead on the third day. Our hope is in His visible return in glory on the last day to raise up the dead. This hope is not based on anything we have seen or experienced. It is based on the unchanging Word of God. That makes it a sure hope—not an uncertain one, as though it’s anybody’s guess whether these things have happened or will happen.
Our hope is anchored in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. As He goes, we go. His life is our life. That sets us apart from the world which has only selfish aims in mind. I don’t live for me, and you don’t live for you. We live through Jesus and for Jesus. We live to let others know what He has done, that He has redeemed us, lost and condemned creatures, purchased and won us from all sins, from death and from the power of the devil (Explanation to Second Article of Creed).
He has done this for everyone, for all sinners of all time. This is the saving truth that we know, but the world does not know. “And so we also speak” (2Co. 4:13). We are “prepared to make a defense.” We stand ready to give “a reason for the hope that is in [us].” Not everyone who hears our “apology,” our defense of the faith, will accept it as true. But some might—and some do—by the grace of God.
We know that we cannot expect perfect comfort and contentment in our life on earth. We know that trouble and persecution will come upon all who follow Jesus. But we also know that He is leading and guiding us each step of the way. He comforts and encourages us through His Word. He prepares us to be ready to speak to our neighbors along the way about the hope we have. And He leads us finally to our promised land, to His heavenly kingdom.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture of the miraculous catch of fish by Raphael, 1515)
The Third Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Peter 5:6-11
In Christ Jesus, who promises to defend and keep His Holy Church, so that not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it (Mat. 16:18), dear fellow redeemed:
Some of the most popular movies are the ones about resistance efforts against powerful rulers. This is what Star Wars was about with the rebel alliance versus the evil empire, or more recently with the Hunger Games series. We enjoy rooting for the underdog. We enjoy watching them come up with plans to topple the bad guys.
Have you ever imagined yourself in a scenario like this? What if you were part of a resistance group? How would you try to undermine the work of wicked rulers? What risks would you be willing to take? What sacrifices would you make? Is there anything that could make you give in or give up?
Our reading for today says that as followers of Jesus, You Are Part of the Resistance. This means it is important that you know your enemy and his tactics, that you know who your allies are, and that you have a good plan for engaging and standing firm against those who stand against you.
So who is your chief enemy? Who wants to destroy you? The apostle Peter writes, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Lions are nothing to take lightly. If lions inhabited our part of the world, we would have to be ready all the time. But as powerful as they are, lions don’t just charge across an open field at their prey. They sneak up slowly and quietly, waiting for the opportunity to strike when their target is vulnerable.
That’s how the devil is with us. He waits for the right opportunity, watching for signs of weakness. He tempts us to think that we are strong, that we have nothing to be concerned about. We can make our own choices. We should do whatever feels right to us, even if it isn’t in line with what the Bible teaches. The devil wants you to believe that you can be a good Christian even if you don’t follow the Word of Christ.
But that isn’t the only weapon in his arsenal. When he is unable to coax us away from the Word, he tries to make us suffer for our faithfulness. That suffering could come when unbelievers ridicule us or even attack us for what we believe. You might get picked on at school, because you won’t go along with the crowd. You might get passed over at work, because you won’t participate in what is unethical. I recently listened to a presentation by a Christian man who was charged with various crimes, because he would not create something that went against his beliefs.
The devil wants to make life as rough on you as he possibly can. The world is his kingdom. If you will not join him, you are not welcome here. He mobilizes all his diabolical forces against you. He won’t let you pass through the world in peace. Martin Luther in his famous hymn says this about the devil: “The old evil foe / Now means deadly woe; / Deep guile and great might / Are his dread arms in fight; / On earth is not his equal” (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary 250, v. 1).
But you don’t face the devil all by yourself. If you did, you would certainly lose; he is too powerful. God has called you to stand with others, to be part of a mighty community, “the communion of saints.” Peter makes reference to this fellowship in the body of Christ when he says, “Resist [the devil], firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
You are not the first to suffer trials and difficulties for your faith, and you won’t be the last. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mat. 16:24). Every follower of Jesus must “take up his cross.” Every follower of Jesus must expect trouble in the world. Every follower of Jesus must prepare for suffering.
But like teammates who cheer each other on, or like medics who bind up the wounds of warriors, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Christ, ready to give support and help. We “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as [we] see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-25). We “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). We are “kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave [us]” (Eph. 4:32).
We do these things for one another, because this is the way of our Lord Jesus. He did all these things perfectly for us. That was His plan for victory. It wasn’t to conquer His enemies by being more brutal, more violent, or more deceptive than they were. It was to come in humility, to love, serve, and sacrifice for the sinners who did not welcome Him or honor Him, but who despised Him and conspired to kill Him.
That hardly seems like a recipe for success, and for many Christians still it does not seem like a proper strategy for battle or a plan for victory. They don’t want to hear about humility or suffering or love. They want to meet the unbelievers of the world on their own battlefield while giving no thought to working from higher ground. For some Christians, everything depends on getting certain people elected to government positions or getting certain laws passed. “Then,” they think, “then we have a chance at victory.”
But that sort of victory will always be out of reach. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (Joh. 18:36). Earthly rulers come and go, governments rise and fall. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8). In our resistance efforts in this world, the only weapon the Church has and the only weapon we need is the Word of God.
The powerful Word is what routes the devil and frustrates his plans. He has no answer for the Word. As Luther says again, “The world’s prince may still / Scowl fierce as he will, / He can harm us none, / He’s judged; the deed is done; / One little word can fell him” (ELH 250, v. 3). The devil is sent packing every time Jesus says to us, “I forgive you all your sins,” or when He says, “This is My body, which is given for you; this is My blood which is shed for you for the remission of sins.”
What can the devil say against you if Jesus speaks this way for you? Jesus makes it abundantly clear that He stands with you, and you stand with Him, which can only mean that the devil has to go hungry. That roaring lion can roar all he wants and “scowl fierce as he will.” He can accuse us, attack us, throw all he has at us. But he cannot overcome us, because he is overcome by Jesus.
John the apostle writes that this is “the reason the Son of God appeared.” It was “to destroy the works of the devil” (1Jo. 3:8). In the days leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus told the crowds, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (Joh. 12:31-32). The very means by which Jesus seemed to be defeated was the means He used to destroy Satan.
His suffering and His death on the cross was the payment for all sin. And since sin has been paid for, there is nothing more for the devil to say. If the devil is in your ear, tempting you away from Jesus, and you think his temptations sound reasonable, it is because of one of two things (or both)—you have forgotten you are a sinner, or you have forgotten what Jesus did to redeem you from your sin.
This is why Peter says in his epistle, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.” You humble yourself by acknowledging your weakness, by repenting of your sin and trusting in God’s unchanging love for you. You “[cast] all your anxieties on Him,” knowing that “He cares for you.” You don’t carry out resistance work against the devil on your own. You don’t rely on your own abilities, your own strength, your own cunning. You rely on Jesus, your Savior and your King, the Conqueror of the devil and death.
You may often feel overmatched in this fallen world which does not honor Jesus. It may seem like the odds are hopelessly against His Church here on earth. It may seem like you and all believers are certain to lose and lose badly. But the Lord Jesus is on the march! He comes boldly and powerfully through His Word and Sacraments. He comes to “seek the lost,” “bring back the strayed,” “bind up the injured,” and “strengthen the weak” (Eze. 34:16). He is the Good Shepherd who comes looking for us wherever we have wandered and carries us home on His shoulders rejoicing (Luk. 15:5).
The devil has not won, and he cannot win. Even though you will suffer in the shadow of his dark kingdom for a little while, you have the promise that “the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Because of what Jesus did for you, you are at peace with the God who rules over all things for your good. Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Joh. 16:33). In Jesus, you cannot lose.
To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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(picture from “The Good Shepherd” by James Tissot, 1836-1902)
The Second Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 John 3:13-18
In Christ Jesus, Love incarnate, who demonstrated God’s love for the world through His sinless life and sacrificial death, and who calls His people to follow His example of love, dear fellow redeemed:
There are different ways we express the fact that we are alive: “I’m breathing.”—“I’m upright.”—“I have a pulse.”—“I’m still above ground.”—“The ol’ ticker is still working.” Our reading for today gives another proof of our being alive, but it is talking about something more than physical life. The apostle John writes, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.”
The “brothers” that John is referring to are fellow believers. Although it sounds like John is saying that it is our love for the brothers that has brought us “out of death into life,” this is not the case. John makes this clear a couple verses later when he writes, “By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us.” We “know love,” because we have seen the love of Jesus.
The love of Jesus was completely sacrificial. He came, as He said, “not to be served but to serve” (Mar. 10:45). Of all the people who could have demanded the love of others, it was Him. “For by him all things were created” (Col. 1:16), and “he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). He is the only-begotten Son of God the Father from all eternity. We would not exist apart from Him. When He took on human flesh and revealed Himself through His gracious words and works, He should have received nothing but love, honor, and respect.
At the same time, His love was not contingent on receiving what He deserved. Whether or not His words were listened to, whether or not His works were praised, whether or not He was thanked for His miracles and blessings, He still loved, like the love we see from the master of the house who invited “the poor and crippled and blind and lame” to his banquet (Luk. 14:16-24). Jesus loved the sinners around Him all the way to the cross, where He lovingly carried all their sins to make payment for them. He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mar. 10:45).
What He has done, that is what we are called to do. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples and told them, “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (Joh. 13:15). Then He added that it is love that would set His disciples apart from the world. He said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (v. 35).
Jesus is not referring to a love that will come from deep down in our heart, as though all we need to do is look inside to find it or try harder. He is referring to a love that comes from God Himself. As John wrote later in his epistle, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1Jo. 4:7). That tells us there is a difference between the love of the world and the love of God.
In fact, we learn from the Bible that those “loves”—worldly love and godly love—are opposed to each other. The world has a warped understanding of love. “Love” might be defined as “the acting out of my passions.” It is “doing the things I find fulfilling.” The “love” that the world embraces hardly ever has a sacrificial component. It is about what is good for me more than it is what is good for you.
It is no wonder, then, that the world chafes under the Bible’s definition of love. God says that nothing can be loving if it goes against His Ten Commandments. The Commandments show us the shape of love and the focus of love. They do not direct us inward toward a love of self. They direct us outward toward love for God and neighbor.
Therefore, we say, it can’t be love when we dishonor or disrespect parents or the governing authorities (4th). It can’t be love when we do harm to others or wish harm on them in our hearts (5th). It can’t be love when we act on our sexual passions and desires outside of marriage (6th). It can’t be love when we have the world’s goods and see a brother in need, yet close our heart against him, as our reading says. Anything that does not agree with God’s holy law cannot be loving, since “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10).
The world, of course, disagrees, and it doesn’t disagree mildly. It says that you should indulge your sinful passions, do whatever you want to do, put yourself first. The world doesn’t take kindly to these things being questioned or challenged by we who hold to the true Word of God. The effect is as John says, “the world hates you.” He is saying nothing different than the Lord Jesus who said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (Joh. 15:18-19).
Love for God means hatred from the world. You cannot have it both ways. Jesus says you cannot enjoy the love of the world and the love of God. The unbelievers of the world walk around dead in their sins, like the people in the Holy Gospel who thought their worldly pursuits were more important than the banquet of salvation. They do not know the love of God. They are unable to love as He loves. So it is no surprise when we are the recipients of their hatred. Hatred comes naturally to the unbelievers of the world, just as it once came naturally to us.
But now we are alive in Christ. We have been buried and raised with Him through Baptism. We have been grafted into Him, which means that life and love flow from Him to us like nourishment from a vine to its branches. Through these branches—through us—God produces fruits of love for the benefit of others. John describes what that love looks like. Just as Jesus laid down His life for us, “we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” If any brother has a need, we should do our best to help and supply him. Believers in Jesus should never be accused of being “all talk.” We show our love by our words and our actions.
But what if we don’t? What if we fall into the same snares and sins of the unbelievers? And of course we have. We have played the part of murderers by hating a brother or sister in Christ. Perhaps it was hatred toward a parent, a sibling, a spouse, or a member of the congregation. We wanted them to be hurt like we hurt. We wanted them to suffer like we suffered. And there have been times when we saw a fellow Christian in need, but we didn’t want to trouble ourselves to help. Or we told ourselves that surely someone else would step up who had more resources and more time.
When these behaviors have described us, then we were no better than the unbelievers of the world. Then this indictment is true for us: “Whoever does not love abides in death.” It is death—lifelessness—when we fail to love. Christians who do not love are like lungs that don’t breathe or hearts that don’t beat. We do not represent the God of all love when we are selfish or judgmental or too proud to lift a finger to help those we think are below us.
If the wheels in your brain are turning right now, remembering when you did not love, but then trying to justify those times, that is death in you. But if you recall those times of weakness and sin, and you are sorry for them, that is life in you. St. Paul writes, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13).
“Putting to death the deeds of the body,” means repenting of your sins and trying to avoid them in the future. Every one of us here has sins to repent of, sins of hatred and selfishness. The Holy Spirit leads us to recognize these sins and hand them over to the Father. This remorsefulness and repentance is a clear sign of life. It is a sign that you are not dying along with the loveless world. You are alive in Him who loved perfectly.
His love for you does not change, even though you have sinned, even though you have not always loved like you should. The Son of God accepted the punishment for all those sins in your place, so that they are not charged against you anymore. His love for you from cradle to cross covers the multitude of your sins. He gave Himself to save you.
The Holy Spirit gives you the faith to believe this. And He continues working through the Word and Sacraments to strengthen your faith and renew your love toward others. You come here bringing your sin and guilt, but you leave holding His grace and forgiveness, with plenty to share with everyone around you.
That is what we do. We pass on what we have received. We Living Ones Love. We do not lose anything by loving. We only gain, like honeybees transferring pollen from flower to flower, or like a flame being passed from one candle to another. Just as the love of God has come to us from others, so we share this love, not just “in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(woodcut of the poor, the blind, and the lame being invited to the banquet from the 1880 edition of The Story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation)
(No audio recording is available for this sermon.)