Thanksgiving – Pr. Faugstad homily
Text: Malachi 3:6-18
In Christ Jesus, in whose name we give thanks to God the Father Almighty who made us and still preserves us, dear fellow redeemed:
We are getting reminders from all over that this is a season of giving. And it certainly is. Stores have stocked their shelves with Christmas specials, suggesting at every aisle what we might want to give our family members and friends. Various charitable organizations are busy sending out reminders about “Giving Tuesday” next week. And the event that brings us here this evening has this message in its name: Thanks-giving.
But who is the object for this giving of thanks? To whom is this giving directed? When people focus only on what they are thankful for, they might miss the thankful to. They are thankful for their “food and clothing, home and family, property and goods, and all that [they] need to support this body and life” (Explanation to First Article). But they fail to acknowledge that these things are richly and daily provided for them by our Father in heaven.
It is He who deserves our thanks. It is He who should receive our thanksgiving. For all of His gracious gifts, we are “in duty bound to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him.” Every good thing we have comes from Him. He gives us our daily bread, all that we need for this body and life. There is nothing that we own that doesn’t actually belong to Him. We enjoy the riches, fruits, and blessings of His creation.
Since everything is His, and He freely provides what we need, why would God charge His people of robbing Him, like He does in today’s reading? “Will man rob God?” He asks. “Yet you are robbing Me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’” And He gives the answer: “In your tithes and contributions.”
A tithe was a tenth of a family’s income. God required this of each of the tribes of Israel for the support of the priests and Levites, so they could give attention to the sacrifices and prayers in the temple. The Levites had no territory of their own but were to be provided for by the other tribes. The LORD said that this command was “a perpetual statute throughout your generations”—it was to go on indefinitely (Num. 18:23).
But the people were not giving the tithe as God had commanded them to do. This meant that the priests and Levites were not adequately supported, and the temple sacrifices were not being done as God commanded. Why were the people holding back? Why were they not giving what He required? The LORD exposed the thoughts and intentions of their hearts. He knew why. The people were saying, “It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping His charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts?”
They were concerned about whether what they were commanded to give was really worth what they were getting. Were the imperfect priests and Levites really worth ten percent of their income? Was it really beneficial to keep the LORD’s laws and deny themselves and their desires? Nearly 2500 years have passed since these words were written, but nothing has really changed. We hear all around us (and sometimes think it ourselves) that what God requires of us is greater than what we receive from Him.
Do we really need a pastor and a church? We can read the Bible and pray to God on our own. Do we really need to follow God’s law so strictly? It should be enough to try to be nice to others and be a responsible citizen. But a life lived apart from God and against His will is no life of freedom and happiness. Galatians 6 says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (vv. 7-8).
“Sowing to the flesh” means following our sinful desires and giving ourselves over to sin. “Sowing to the Spirit” means following the Word of God, living according to His will, trusting in Him for our life and salvation. When our primary concern is not desperately clinging to what we have on earth, hoarding our riches so we have enough for the future, but is rather relying on God, then we are ready to enjoy the abundant gifts that He gives.
He will provide for us. He has promised to do it. Jesus says, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mat. 6:31-33). The LORD will not forsake or forget about His dear children who trust in Him.
He sent His Son to redeem your soul through His suffering and death. He brought you to the waters of Baptism to claim You as His own. He sets the Food of Heaven on the altar at church for your spiritual nourishment and food on your table at home for your physical nourishment. He will never run out of good things to give you because all things are His, on earth and in heaven.
And if He will never run out of good things, neither will you. “Give freely and generously from the heart,” says the LORD, “And thereby put Me to the test… if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” The gifts we give to God are not about amounts of money. A tithe is no longer required of God’s New Testament people. He wants our gifts to come from humble hearts that recognize and appreciate His gifts.
The highest thanks and praise we can give to God is believing what He promises, living according to His Commandments, and leaving all our needs in the present and the future in His hands. This is the thanksgiving that He desires from us, the thanksgiving that He loves to receive.
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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The Ninth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Kings 17:7-24
In Christ Jesus, whose storehouse of grace and love is never exhausted, dear fellow redeemed:
The prophet Elijah was used to his food coming by unusual means. Before today’s account, we are told that God sent ravens to fly in with bread and meat each morning and evening as he lived in a remote place east of the Jordan River (1Ki. 17:6). But when his source of water there dried up, God commanded him to go to a town in the region of Sidon. This was a good 75 miles away from where he currently lived. When he arrived, God told him to expect food from a Gentile widow who lived in the town of Zarephath. So not only would Elijah be traveling out of Israelite territory, it would be a poor widow who would keep him alive!
The reason God sent Elijah all the way to the territory of Sidon for food is because the whole land of Israel suffered under a divinely-imposed drought. It was also to keep him safe from King Ahab who reigned over the kingdom of Israel at that time. He was one of Israel’s notoriously wicked kings who led the people to worship false gods. The drought at this time was symbolic of the spiritual condition of the people of Israel. Their hearts had dried up, and almost no one recognized the need for the living waters of the true God.
The spiritual situation was so bad that Jesus would comment many years later, “in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow” (Luk. 4:25-26). Elijah was sent to Gentile territory because of the Israelites’ lack of faith.
This was as surprising for the widow as it was for Elijah. How could she possibly be a good candidate to support an Israelite prophet? She was about to prepare the final meal for herself and her son. The last thing she expected in her desperate situation was for someone to ask her for food! What did she have to give? Couldn’t Elijah find someone else with greater means?
When we think about the topic of stewardship, similar thoughts may come to our minds. “What difference do I make? I can offer so little. Such significant needs require those who have more to spare and can afford to give a lot.” But that is not the way God talks about stewardship. He says that Christians should give offerings regularly in accord with their income (1Co. 16:2). He does not require a “tithe” today—or a tenth of all that one has—like He did in the Old Testament era. But He does want us to give eagerly and generously to support the work of the Gospel.
Some still find it useful to give a “tithe,” a tenth of whatever they earn, to the church. But we are free in this regard. We are free to give less than a tenth of what we have, and we are free to give more. St. Paul writes, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2Cor. 9:7). Did the widow of Zarephath give cheerfully? It’s hard to say. She only had enough flour and oil for one more meal for herself and her son.
But she did what Elijah asked. She prepared food first for him and then for her family. This is consistent with the LORD’s command in Old Testament times, that the people give their firstfruits for the work of the priests. First they should provide for the men who attended to their spiritual needs, and then they should take care of their other needs.
This is what the poor widow in the temple did when she gave her last two coins—“all she had to live on” (Luk. 21:4). She held nothing back. But we see the pile of bills—house payments, utilities, cell phone, internet—and perhaps a growing debt. We convince ourselves that we can’t get by without this or that. We like having nice things. We don’t want our kids to have less than their peers. So instead of our offerings coming as the firstfruits, we often give them as the leftovers.
But why should so much depend on our giving? It may seem to us that if God needs the money so bad, He could easily get it some other way. Couldn’t God fill the offering plate in the same miraculous way that He filled the widow’s jar of flour and jug of oil, with just the right amount appearing? He certainly could. But where would it end? God could preach, baptize, and give Communion without pastors. He could make food appear on tables without work. He could construct roads without highway crews. He could imprison people without the justice system. Instead God chooses to do His work through countless vocations. This includes the support of the preaching and teaching of the Word.
When we think we can’t afford to give offerings to God, it’s usually because we think of what we have as ours. The good things we have do belong to us in a certain respect, but ultimately they belong to God. He sends us abundant gifts—food and clothing, home and family, property and goods—and gives us the duty of managing those gifts. We faithfully give back in our offerings from what God has given us, just as the hymn says, “We give Thee but Thine own” (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #445).
Whenever we hand over what belongs to us, we expect to get something in return. Is that how offerings work? If we give generously to God, does God give greater gifts to us? The proverb seems to say this, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine” (3:9-10). But this is not a promise that only good things will come to those who are generous toward God. It is a promise that God will not forsake those who humbly put their trust in Him.
The widow of Zarephath learned this lesson. She faithfully fed Elijah, and the food kept coming. But then her son died. That doesn’t seem right at all. Hadn’t she proven herself? How could God do this to her? Was it because of her sins, the widow wondered? Thankfully, God does not operate by a payback system. He was not punishing the widow; He was teaching her to trust in Him.
The same goes for us. Our LORD does not give to us based on what we have given to Him. Even if we gave more offerings than everyone else, sharing what we have generously and regularly, God would still reject us on the basis of what we had done. We have not given the perfect amount with perfect motivations from a perfect heart. If the LORD gave according to what we have offered to Him, we would be absolutely, unquestionably doomed.
But God does not pay us back. He faithfully gives whether or not our giving back has been so faithful. The jar of His grace and the jug of His mercy are bottomless. There are times that we imagine we have exhausted the stores of His patience and goodness. We fear we will find His cupboards empty. But the Bread of Life and the living waters are there for our eating and drinking.
These gifts never run out or run dry because God rewards us on the basis of what Jesus has done. Jesus offered more than a tenth of Himself, more than half. He didn’t hold back even one percent of Himself. He offered His entire Person. The Son of God and Son of Man was crucified on the cross for all sinners. He made the full payment for our sin and covered our debt in full before His Father raised Him from the dead in glory.
We see a picture of His resurrection in the widow’s son. After her son died, Elijah stretched himself over the boy three times before God brought him back to life. Jesus the Son of God died and was stretched out in graveclothes for three days until God the Father raised Him from the dead. The boy’s resurrection had significance for his life and his mother’s life. Jesus’ resurrection has significance for the lives of all people.
Because of His resurrection, the Scriptures call Jesus “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1Cor. 15:20). The offering of His own life to the Father on your behalf was no insignificant amount. It is the guarantee that you are going to rise one day also. God will faithfully give you eternal life, because Jesus faithfully gave up His life for you. Your failure to be a perfect steward does not disqualify you like the manager in our Holy Gospel who was fired for his unethical behavior (Lk. 16:1-9). God forgives your mismanagement of His good gifts. And He sends you right back out on the job with more.
He knows what type of people He is working with and through. There were times that Elijah’s faithfulness wavered. The widow questioned God’s care for her when her son died. We are willing to give, but we hold back because we want to make sure we will really have what we need. We don’t fully trust that God will provide. Or sometimes we feel as though God asks more of us than we can give.
Despite our reluctance and selfishness and doubt, our LORD does not stop giving good things to us. He is faithful. He makes sure that we receive our daily bread in abundance, and most importantly, He fills our cup to overflowing with His gifts of forgiveness and salvation. He faithfully gives these things to us as He comes to us personally through His Word and Sacraments. “In [His] presence,” as the Psalm says, “there is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11).
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 “Parable of the Unjust Steward” by Jan Luyken, 1649-1712)
The Ninth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Luke 16:1-9
In Christ Jesus, who is at the right hand of God dispensing all the treasures of His grace to us, dear fellow redeemed:
The manager’s time had run out. The jig was up. He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The charges were true, or the manager would not have acted the way he did. He was guilty. Now what to do? If owning the sin and apologizing ever crossed the manager’s mind, Jesus does not tell us. What this man decided was to do what he did best—manipulate things to his own advantage.
Taking on manual labor was out of the question—he didn’t want to do anything too taxing or risk getting blisters on his tender hands. And he was too proud to ask anyone for help—he wouldn’t lower himself so far. So he decided to cheat his master one final time. He quickly called in others who were indebted to his master, and he reduced the amounts they owed. By unilaterally reducing their debt, he was putting them in debt to him, so that when he was booted out by his master, he would almost certainly find a soft landing somewhere else.
What could the master say? He had been taken twice, shame on him. He “commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.” But he still fired him. That’s how the world works. It’s one person trying to get leverage against another. It’s: “I’ll do you a favor, so you have to do me a favor.” “I’ll file away this mistake or this transgression and publicize it when the time is right.” “I’ll step on you if it will boost me up and give me a better position.”
This is ugly. It is hurtful. It gets people focused on what they can take from one another instead of what they can give. That is not what we are called to do as Christians. Jesus makes this clear in today’s reading. “[M]ake friends for yourselves,” He says. And how are we to do this? “[B]y means of unrighteous wealth.” What does that mean? It does not mean paying people off to get what you want. It does not mean obligating them to something because of your gifts. What it means is the exact opposite of those things.
“Making friends by means of unrighteous wealth,” or earthly wealth, means giving and giving and giving some more. That’s what disciples of Jesus are called to do, to give as He gave, love as He loved, help as He helped. Listen to how Jesus describes the love we should have for those around us, even for those who mistreat us. He says, “I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back” (Luk. 6:27-30).
That is a truly uncomfortable love! It is a rare love. Most of us would be on the phone with a lawyer before we would let happen what Jesus says we should let happen. But why does He ask this of us? Does He really want us to be everyone’s doormat, getting walked all over? He asks this of us, in order to keep our focus on the major thing and not the minor things.
Minor things are the things of this world, temporal things, things that last only for a little while. That includes our money, our possessions, our work, our reputation and honor. All these things are gifts from God, but they are not the major thing. The major thing is what Jesus accomplished for us through His perfect life, death, and resurrection, which He richly and abundantly imparts to us through His Word and Sacraments.
Our reliance on the major thing changes our view of the minor things. We appreciate the good things we have. We use them and enjoy them. But we don’t cling to them. We know that everything we have on earth could be gone in an instant. The author to the Hebrews says, “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Heb. 13:14). This puts our involvement in things like politics in their proper place. We are active as citizens, and we exercise our rights, but we keep our hope in God.
This also changes our perspective about possessions. We have what God has given us, nothing more and nothing less. What we have is ours to manage, but not ours to keep. We are stewards of what ultimately belongs to God. In the order of Matins, we sing these words of the inspired Psalm: “In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down” (95:4-6). Everything is His, including your home, your possessions, and your bank account.
He has given these things to you because He loves you, and He wants you to use them both for your own needs and for the needs of your neighbor. You do this by feeding and clothing yourself and your family. You do this by helping a neighbor who is struggling. You do this by giving offerings here at church, your firstfruits for the work of His kingdom. All of this contributes to “making friends” who “may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
If you do not feed and clothe the members of your family, they will despise you. If you ignore the troubles of your neighbors while you prosper, they will hate you. If you fail to support the work of God’s Church when you have the means to do so, the pure Gospel will no longer be heard in your community. These sins are even more offensive when committed by those who call themselves followers of Christ—Christians (1Ti. 5:8).
Jesus’ indictment in today’s reading is that we do not use what we have been given as “shrewdly” as the “sons of this world” do. He calls us “the sons of light,” and the sons of light are the ones who let their “light shine before others, so that they may see [our] good works and give glory to [our] Father who is in heaven” (Mat. 5:16). But often our good works are not clearly seen. Instead of using the good gifts of good shrewdly and wisely, we often behave like the selfish sons of this world. We are just as wasteful of the good gifts God has given us. We are just as greedy. We hold what is ours with an iron grip and find it difficult to pry open our hands to give to others.
Not one of us has as much as we want, and yet every one of us has more than we need. We worry about money while our cupboards are full of food, our closets are full of clothes, and we carry around expensive smartphones in our pockets. We have plenty to give, and yet we tell ourselves that there is so much more we need to receive before we can give.
God would have every right to call in the bill for all the services He has provided us and all the goods He has given. He could rightly say, “What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.” We deserve to be booted out of His house, banished from His kingdom, and lose all that He has given.
But the Lord’s Manager, His only Son, calls us to His side. “How much do you owe My Master?” He asks. But instead of fudging the numbers or sweeping our debt under the rug, He accepts it as His own. “I will pay your penalty,” He says. “I will satisfy your debt. I will atone for your transgressions.” He went to the cross to do just that, shedding His holy blood and dying to take away all your sins. He made the payment for your lack of generosity, for your coldness toward others, for your self-centered thinking about what will be best for you.
Through His Word and Sacraments which you are privileged to receive each week, Jesus comes to you, and He says, “Take the bill of this week’s debts, all the sins you committed against your heavenly Father in your thoughts, words, and actions, and write this: Paid. Forgiven. Dismissed.” That’s what Jesus does for you. He cancels the debt that you keep accruing. He distributes His gifts to you in abundance and doesn’t worry about getting a fair return. He just gives.
Through these rich gifts, the Holy Spirit puts the same loving purpose in you. He turns your focus away from yourself and toward others. The Holy Spirit teaches us to Leverage the Temporal for the Eternal, to “make Christian friends for ourselves” by sacrificial love and by supporting the preaching of the Gospel here in our congregation and through the mission and work of our synod. We are listening to God’s Word here today, because others have done this giving before us. We are the friends they have made “by means of unrighteous wealth,” by means of their sacrificial gifts and offerings.
We want to do the same for others. We know that everything we have needed in our lives has been richly supplied by our merciful Lord, starting with our salvation through His Son. When His Word is our most precious Treasure, everything else falls into place. Jesus assures us, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys” (Luk. 12:32-33).
By the grace of God, our treasure in heaven is secure. And we look forward to the day when our good friends, the faithful saints who have gone before us, will joyfully welcome us to God’s “eternal dwellings,” where we will sing His praises 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 “Parable of the Unjust Steward” by Jan Luyken, 1649-1712)