The First Sunday after Michaelmas (Trinity 19) – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: Jeremiah 1:1-10
In Christ Jesus, who has given authority to men to proclaim His powerful Law and Gospel to lead sinners to repentance and faith, dear fellow redeemed:
Imagine that someone offers you a job, and the primary requirement for the job is that you tell the truth. But if you tell the truth, your colleagues will hate you, the authorities will hate you, and the people you most want to help will think you are crazy. A number of people will threaten you with death. You will be thrown into prison for a while. You will warn everyone about what will happen if they don’t change course. But no one will listen, and everything you predict will come true. Would you take that job?
What I described is similar to what happened to Jeremiah, a prophet of the LORD. But the LORD did not exactly offer him his job; He told him what he would do. The LORD had prepared Jeremiah’s work for him even before he existed. The LORD said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah immediately questioned his qualifications: “I do not know how to speak,” he said, “for I am only a youth.” To assure Jeremiah of His presence and power, the LORD engaged several of Jeremiah’s senses. The Word of the LORD came to him, so we assume he was able to hear the voice of God. Then “the LORD put out His hand,” which Jeremiah was presumably able to see. And then the LORD “touched [his] mouth,” which he was able to feel. All of it was to assure Jeremiah that he would not have to come up with the words to speak; the LORD would give him the words.
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth,” He said. He also told Jeremiah what those words would accomplish. Jeremiah would be placed “over nations and over kingdoms.” But the words he spoke would not be welcome. These words from God would have power “to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Four of the effects in the list are destructive—pluck up, break down, destroy, overthrow, and only two are constructive—build and plant.
The task for Jeremiah would certainly be difficult. The consequences for his faithful work were outcomes he would want to avoid. He grieved for his people who had gone after foreign gods (Jer. 8:18-21). And he grieved that he was attacked for telling the truth. He cried out bitterly: “Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me” (15:10).
So why did the LORD put him through such trials and troubles? It seems unfair that Jeremiah would have to experience these things. But let’s look at it from a different perspective. The people of Israel had forsaken the LORD. They worshiped false gods from the king down to the common people. The prophets and priests told everyone what they wanted to hear and were especially greedy for goods and money. The people were doing everything God said they should not do and what He warned would lead to their destruction.
But instead of sending enemies to smash down their gates and destroy the people of Israel, the merciful LORD sent them prophets. He sent the prophets to expose their sins through His Law and call them to repent of their wrongs. He also delivered a message of promise through the prophets, that if the people turned back to the LORD, He would bless them and give them peace and prosperity.
So the work was difficult for Jeremiah, but it was done out of God’s love for His people. He did not take pleasure in Jeremiah’s suffering. He took pleasure in seeking and saving His lost sheep. Jeremiah was right—he did not have the strength inside himself to do this work. But the LORD promised, “I am with you to deliver you.”
We do not face the same intense trials that Jeremiah did, where it is basically us against the whole world. But we certainly experience challenges to our faith and the pressure to go along with what we know is wrong. It is always difficult to tell the truth when we know the truth is not welcome.
And there have certainly been times that we kept our mouths shut when we should have spoken up and confessed the name of Jesus. We took the easy path that did not risk our popularity or our position instead of standing for what is right. Like Jeremiah, we have hidden behind our weaknesses and essentially told the Almighty God to find someone else who is more qualified.
But the task to speak God’s Word faithfully is given to each one of us. 1 Peter 3 says, “Have no fear of [those who oppose you], nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (vv. 14-15). But how can we stay prepared to do this? How can we make sure we are ready to speak when challenges and questions come our way?
We are prepared in the same way that Jeremiah was—through the powerful Word of God. The LORD has not visibly reached out and touched our mouth, but He did call us to the waters of Holy Baptism, where a pastor touched us with the sign of the cross and with water joined to His Word. That Baptism showed that before He formed us in the womb He knew us. He chose us to be saved and brought us the salvation Jesus won by baptizing us into His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:4).
In our Lord’s institution of the Sacraments and His calling of men to be pastors, it is clear that He wants to fill all our senses with His Word. Besides the touch of the Sacraments, He wants us to see those visible Sacraments in the Divine Service and read the Word of God in worship and through regular devotions at home. He wants us to hear the Word preached and join in confessing and singing His truth. He wants us to taste the gifts of His Supper as He gives His true body and blood along with the bread and wine for the remission of our sins.
Our sense of smell is perhaps the least engaged of our senses in the Divine Service, though some Christians are used to the smell of incense lifting heavenward with their prayers. We might smell the candles or fresh flowers, but we might especially think of breathing in the Word like we do oxygen and then breathing out our prayers and praises to God.
The Word of God does not dull our senses like a drug or some kind of anesthetic. The Word of God wakes us up; it keeps us alert. The world sees it the opposite way. It says that the teaching of the Bible holds us back from true happiness, from reaching our full potential, from being who we were meant to be. The world agrees with the people of Israel who at times ignored Jeremiah and at times hoped for and worked toward his death.
Though Jeremiah often felt despair and wondered if his preaching was doing any good, the Word of God never returns to Him empty. It accomplishes His purpose and succeeds in the thing for which He sent it (Isa. 55:11). His Word is living and active (Heb. 4:12), and it produces a living and active faith in His people.
The Lord still calls men like Jeremiah—pastors who also struggle with doubts and weaknesses—to preach His holy Word. He calls you to gladly hear and learn this Word. The Lord speaks it for your life and salvation. He wants you to turn from your sin in repentance and to believe that all your sins are forgiven through the blood of Jesus.
By your inherited sinful nature, you were like the paralyzed man brought before Jesus—unable to do anything to help yourself. But Jesus looked with compassion on you and said, “Take heart, My child; your sins are forgiven” (Mat. 9:1-8). That is a delightful Word. It is like music to the ears, like light for the eyes, like honey to the taste, like a sweet-smelling aroma, like a gentle and comforting touch. No matter how often you have ignored the Word of God, taken the easy path, or hidden behind your weaknesses, Jesus says to you: “Your sins are forgiven!”
This is a message for the whole world, for all sinners. This is what the LORD calls pastors to preach publicly in the congregation. This is the message the LORD calls every Christian to proclaim privately in their day-to-day lives, announcing the forgiveness of sins to your family members, friends, co-workers, and other neighbors. This Word of God’s grace is not always met with joy. Some take offense at the suggestion that they have sins that need forgiving. Others question whether sinners like you and me have any business speaking forgiveness to others.
But despite the criticisms, we know that it is not our Word we speak, but the LORD’s. He has put His Word in our mouths, and not just in our mouths—in our ears and eyes and noses and hands. The Lord Fills Our Senses with His Word, so that we are ready to speak His Word faithfully.
This is no job to run away from, and we do not need to be afraid to do it, “for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” Through His Word that we speak, our gracious Lord will continue to carry out His soul-saving work for others just as He has for us—the work of plucking up and breaking down, destroying and overthrowing, building and planting.
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 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872)
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)