Matthew 10:34-42; The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost; June 28, 2026

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”” (Matthew 10:34–42, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

You know, Christian faith is very different from all other religions. You do know it, but this passage says it.

People imagine they must reach up to God. That they must do something. That’s sinful human nature. Nothing comes to us without our struggle. We are in charge of our own destiny.

Jesus says differently, just the opposite in fact.

He says,

The Father sends. The Son comes. The Son sends the apostles. God’s people receive.

Our text opens with Jesus talking about his coming. In a way it is shocking.

He doesn’t come to improve society, not to resolve conflict. He doesn’t bring peace. He brings a sword, and division.

Think about the first part of the text. Sons against fathers. Daughters against mothers. Division in the household. That is not peace. That is conflict. And Jesus says he comes to comes to bring it.

More than that he says,

…whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

We’ve got you there, Pastor. We put up a great big cross on our church.

I told someone that Grand Marais has a new landmark. It isn’t necessarily what you think. It’s a landmark alright. It’s a bold statement. People in Grand Marais might not oppose it openly, but there are some, maybe many, who will hate it. More so, if we stand behind it. If we don’t, it’s just an empty symbol. If we do, it will cause division.

If you think everyone who drives by is going to smile, I think you are mistaken. Some will smile. Some won’t notice. Some will resent it. Some will hate it. Not because a wooden cross hurts anyone.

Those who don’t like it won’t like it because it points to Christ. He is the one who comes to sinners demanding repentance and offering forgiveness.

The cross itself divides no one. Christ does.

But notice where Jesus finishes. Jesus doesn’t say, “Go and find me.” He doesn’t say “Climb up to heaven.” He doesn’t say "Earn your way into My presence." He says, “Receive me.”

That’s unexpected. After all that warning about trouble. Jesus says, “Receive me.”

Jesus stops talking about swords. He stops talking about crosses. He stops talking about fathers and mothers. Instead, he begins repeating one little word.

Receive.

He says it six times in three verses.

Receive.

Receive.

Receive.

Receive.

Receive.

Receive.

And the word has another word hidden inside. You can’t receive something unless it is sent.

That is the whole movement of the Christian faith.

Jesus talks about who and what is sent. The Father sends the son. Son comes into the world. The son sends his apostles to preach Christ. So, with that, Jesus says,

Whoever receives you receives me.

Jesus is answering the question the world should be asking.

How do I get God?

He says,

The Father sent me.

I have come.

He sends his apostles.

Receive me.

That’s the sword. It’s not “be willing to suffer”. It’s not “carry your cross.” That’s what happens when Christ is received. The sword is

Receive me.

Receiving Jesus divides the world. Jesus doesn’t say,

Receive a philosophy.

He does not say,

Receive a moral code.

He says,

Receive me.

Receive the One whom the Father sent into the world. Receive the One who took your sins upon Himself. Receive the One who stretched out His hands upon another cross—not merely as an example to follow, but as the sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world.

Receive the One who died your death. Receive the One whom the Father raised from the dead. Receive the forgiveness He won. Receive the life He gives.

That is what Christ brings when He comes.

That's what divides fathers and sons. That's what divides mothers and daughters. That's what divided the Sanhedrin. That's what divided the Roman Empire. That's what still divides Grand Marais. The offense is not Christianity as a system.

The offense is Christ Himself.

Not simply because He teaches difficult things. But because He claims to be the only Savior. He alone forgives sins. He alone reconciles sinners to the Father. He alone opens the kingdom of heaven. That is why He divides the world.

Our new cross, the wooden beams that stretch out north and south, aren’t offensive because they are a cross. They are offensive because they say,

Receive him.

…

Or reject him.

There isn’t a third option. Receive or reject.

That is the sword.

Everything Jesus says here flows from that. Some receive him. Some reject him. Families divide. Crosses are carried. The apostles are received—or rejected. The Church is welcomed—or persecuted.

That’s what happens when Christ comes.

He says,

Receive me.

And there is another division here. People say,

You need to accept Jesus.

But Jesus doesn't use that language.

He says,

Receive Me.

Accept often sounds like the decisive action belongs to me. I make the choice. I take the initiative. I decide.

But receive begins somewhere else.

Before I can receive anything, someone has to give it. Before I can receive Christ, the Father has to send Him. Before I can receive the Gospel, someone has to preach it. Before I can receive the Sacrament, Christ has to institute it and give it. Christianity begins not with my action, but with God's.

Luther compared faith to an empty hand. An empty hand doesn't earn the gift. It doesn't improve the gift. It doesn't create the gift. It simply receives what another places into it. That is what Jesus is talking about.

Acceptance emphasizes the chooser. Receiving emphasizes the giver.

And perhaps now you can hear the words of the Small Catechism a little differently.

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.

Luther understood exactly what Jesus is teaching.

We do not come to Christ. Christ comes to us. The Father sent His Son. The Son came into the world. The Son sent His apostles. Through their preaching Christ still comes to His Church.

That is why, in just a few moments, we will do exactly what Jesus says.

We will not climb into heaven. We will not search for Christ. We will not earn His favor.

He will come to us. He will speak His Word. He will give His gifts. The Christ who once came in the flesh, who once hung upon the cross, who once rose from the tomb, still comes to His people.

Not to condemn.

Not to demand another sacrifice.

But to deliver the forgiveness He purchased with His own blood.

He will place into empty hands His own Body and Blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins.

And what will we do?

Exactly what Jesus tells us to do.

Receive Him.

Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 10:21-33; The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost; June 21, 2026

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:21–33, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus isn’t talking here to comfortable Christians. He is talking to his disciples. He is preparing them for what they don’t know, can’t even believe, is coming. Persecution. In their lifetimes they will experience betrayal, hatred, arrest, and almost all of them, death.

And then in the middle of all that darkness, he starts talking about birds. Sparrows. It seems strange. It seems disconnected. Why bird? Why sparrows of all birds? Shouldn’t he talk about being soldiers? Shouldn’t he talk about kings? Shouldn’t he talk about the fight?

No, he doesn’t because the sparrow is the point. Sparrows were cheap, disposable, forgettable.

He wants to remind his disciples that that’s what the world thinks of them. That’s exactly how the world will treat them.

…and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. (Matthew 10:22, ESV)

He doesn’t say disliked or misunderstood. He says hated. The English word understates it. We hear it as emotional dislike. μισέω means: to hate, to detest, to reject, to have hostility toward, to regard with aversion. This word means opposition that results in action.

Jesus is not merely saying people won’t like you. He is saying they will act in opposition to you. In fact, he promises it will happen. His disciples shouldn’t expect applause or adulation. They should expect hate, and open hostility.

A disciple is not above his teacher. (Matt 10:24, ESV)

They hated him. They will hate the disciples. They will hate you.

Think about it. Persecution isn’t just trying to stop a message. It tries to make the message and the speaker meaningless. “You don’t matter.”

In bloody arena’s, hiding in the catacombs, the early Christians got that message. And believers now, hear the same thing. “You don’t matter. Your message is nothing. You are not useful.”

Useful. That’s what the world values. Power is useful. Wealth is useful. Productivity is useful. Christians are not.

A Christian may find himself treated like a marketplace sparrow. They were cheap, disposable, and replaceable.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?

Sparrows were sold in the market. Not as pets. As snacks. They were the cheapest thing there. Poor people bought them for food. In Luke he says they would even throw one in for free.

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? (Luke 12:6, ESV)

Two for one penny. Two pennies mean four. Five is an extra thrown in for free. Sparrows are worthless.

Not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

But Jesus says differently. The merchant doesn’t even bother to count them. The crowds don’t count them. But the Father does.

Jesus says that sparrows matter to the Father. So, you matter to the Father. He knows you. He sees you. He counts every hair. He knows everything about you. Your suffering. Your tears. Your persecution. Your death.

Your value isn’t set by the world. Your value is set by Christ. And the proof is the cross. God didn’t purchase you with silver or gold. He purchased you with the blood of His Son. Martin Luther wrote:

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.

not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. Luther pushed the idea. Gold and silver were precious. How many sparrows could be purchased with a heap of gold and silver? Too many to count. For you, God spent his most precious commodity. Jesus suffering and death, and his very life.

Jesus says sparrows fall, not unnoticed by the Father, he counts every single one. But he doesn’t say they don’t fall. Christians fall also. He never promises otherwise. His disciple listening to him would die for Jesus and his word.

And what does he say? Do not fear.

That is profound.

Do not fear.

How can he say that when he has just given a litany of things that shake us to our core? God the Father is still God the Father, even when sparrows fall. Even when persecution leads to death. It is a resurrection promise. The black hole of the grave isn’t a place where God loses people. The Father who knows every hair on your head, the Father who counts sparrows, knows where your body rests. He promises resurrection. Just as Jesus was raised from his grave, you will be too. The world forgets graves. The Father doesn’t. In your grave lies one who has been redeemed by Christ. Purchased and won

with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.

And listen to how Luther frames it.

that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.

In the marketplace sparrows weren’t even worth a dime a dozen. The world prices Christians the same way. But, God the Father, he does not.

A persecutor says, “You are worthless.” God the Father sees a soul redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

The world forgets and moves on. The Father remembers.

The world buries. The Father raises.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:31)

The world prices you like a sparrow. Christ prices you with His blood. Therefore, do not fear. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 9:9–13; The Second Sunday after Pentecost; June 7, 2026

Matthew 9:9–13

The Second Sunday after Pentecost

June 7, 2026
Life in Christ Lutheran Church
Grand Marais, Minnesota

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 9:9–13, ESV

Grace and peace to you from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It occurs to me that Jesus loves banquets. Over and over again in the Bible you see Him eating banquets with people. We know what it’s all about, we love our potlucks, too. I never heard of anyone turning down a potluck. Jesus likes them because He loves people… all kinds of people… even the people other people don’t like.

Just look at the Pharisees. They ask Jesus’ disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” To get what they are really asking we might rephrase it as, “Why do you want to eat with bikers?” “Why do you hang out with drug dealers?” “Why do you want to eat with ‘those people?’”

Well, the Pharisees didn’t understand. We aren’t Pharisees… at least we don’t think we are. But before we’re done today, we may discover we have more in common with them than we’d like.

Jesus loves banquets, I think, because He loves to give. That’s what God is all about, giving. He takes care of us by giving. The whole creation is God’s gift to us. When He created the world, He created it for us. Just look at the everyday ordinary things that God gives you every day. A place to live, a family, a wonderful church, and, of course, food… a banquet every day. More than you’ll ever need. God is a giving God; He loves nothing more than to give. The best that we can do is delight in His gifts.

Of course, there is nothing more important that He has given than eternal life. He gives that to us through the gift of His one and only Son, Jesus. Look at the disciple Matthew. Jesus called him. Who was he? He was one of those “tax collectors and sinners.” People in Jesus’ day wouldn’t be caught dead with a guy like that. But Jesus calls him. “Follow Me,” He says. And Matthew responds to the gift. Jesus chose him. Jesus gave him the gift of life.

God does that for you too. He doesn’t do it by saying the words, “Follow Me.” He uses different words. He actually puts His name on you with water. He pours it on your head and says, “You are Mine. You belong to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. You have eternal life through faith in Jesus.”

What God does is apply the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to you. He says that everything that Jesus did is yours. What did you do to deserve such a gift? What did Matthew do? Nothing at all. For most of us we couldn’t even form words, let alone choose to follow God. Faith in Jesus is God’s gift to you and me. It is the act of a God who loves to give, the act of a God willing to suffer and die for you. All you have to do, actually it would be better to say, what you do is delight in God’s gift.

Think just for a minute about the Ten Commandments. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Those first three commandments talk about our relationship with God. They talk about the gifts that God has given us. They are talking about faith. Why would you want to have any kind of relationship outside of the one true God?

The rest of the commandments talk about gifts of God, too. Honor your father and mother — the gift of family and government. You shall not kill — the gift of life. You shall not commit adultery — the gift of marriage. Etc. When we think about the God who gives such gifts, especially the gift of having a relationship with Himself, we see the commandments in a whole new light. Not as rules but as realities. It’s the way we live because of who we are… or whose we are.

That’s what the Pharisees were missing. That’s why Jesus tells them they need to do more research. He said to them, “Go and learn what this means.” It’d be like a teacher writing on a paper, “Do over.” They didn’t get it. They thought they had a relationship with God because of what they did. They were the “in” group. They kept all the laws as best they could. God must be pleased with them.

But they missed what Jesus was all about. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” isn’t talking about us doing good stuff for God. Our problem is that we don’t understand the word mercy right. In our ears mercy means feeling sorry for someone who is worse off than we are. You get a better idea what mercy means from the ESV translation of the Old Testament lesson for today:

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6, ESV

The word “mercy,” or here “steadfast love,” isn’t about feelings. It’s about actions. It’s about relationships… relationships with one another and most especially a relationship with God. When we say, “Lord, have mercy!” we are not asking God to feel sorry for us. We are asking Him to do what He has promised to do. We are asking Him to give us what He has promised to give. Thanks to Dr. Dale Meyer, June 3rd, The Meyer Minute.

Would you like an example? You don’t have to go outside the Bible for a good example. Abraham is a great one. He’s an example of having steadfast love of God… even to a fault. St. Paul wrote those words about him:

No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.

Romans 4:20, ESV

God promised to give him a son, and even though he was very old he believed it would happen. Even Abraham stumbled and tried to help God keep His promise. Not because he believed that God wouldn’t do it, but simply because he trusted God would do it, so why should he have to wait?

He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”

Romans 4:21–22, ESV

That’s the steadfast love that we mean when we talk about mercy.

God loves a banquet. He loves to give. He calls you to a banquet. Do you know about it? Do you know where you can go to receive what God promises to give you? Well, you must know something about it. After all, you are here at the banquet He provides. You’ve already received the gifts that He promises to give.

Why do you think we start our worship service with a reminder that God has given us the gift of faith? “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” is the name of God that was placed on you when God promised you eternal life through faith in Jesus. If you want to know who God’s gifts are here for, all you have to do is remember that He has claimed you through water and Word.

God has already today spoken to you about the gift of forgiveness, too. Did you ever wonder why a pastor says, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit?” A pastor has no power to forgive, except the forgiveness that God gives. Your pastor only speaks God’s Word of promise to you. He speaks “in the stead and by the command of Jesus.” “In the stead” means “standing in for.”

And right before that we call upon God to do for us what He promises to do. We say it more fully than this, but the dialogue could be said like this:

God’s People: God, I need forgiveness. Forgive me as You promise You will do.

God’s Response: You are forgiven because of Jesus!

God’s People: Yeah! Glory to God! Thanks be to God!

God loves to give, especially to give what we need. And forgiveness is it. But there’s more. God’s banquet really does have food too! We’ll gather at God’s altar and eat bread and wine. It’s a very special meal. It’s a meal we need more than any other meal. That’s because it’s not just ordinary bread and wine, it’s the body and blood of Jesus.

God just keeps on giving… forgiveness upon forgiveness. And you don’t have to doubt that the forgiveness He gives is being given to you. “Take and eat. Take and drink. This is My body and blood given to you for the forgiveness of sins.” It’s for you right there. You see, when God gives a gift you can be sure of who it’s for and exactly what it does. “Lord have mercy! Give me what You promise to give.”

Now, does that have an impact on how you live in relationship to other people? I should think so. God gives you what you need. You don’t have to do anything to earn His forgiveness. You don’t have to do anything to earn your relationship to Him. He gifts it to you. Your response is more than just thanksgiving to God. Your response is to give a gift. Not a gift to God, but a gift to everyone else. God gives you what you need. You can give other people what they need.

That’s what the Pharisees were missing. They lived their lives doing stuff for God to help themselves. They tried to keep God’s laws to earn His favor. That’s useless. That’s unnecessary. That’s something a person can’t even do. In fact, if we try, we are rejecting the gift.

It’s saying to God, “I don’t want the gift of salvation You sent Your Son to die for. I’d rather earn my own way. Jesus’ life and death isn’t good enough for me. His perfect life and death aren’t what I want. I expect You to look at my good works instead.”

We worship God best when we take what He gives with a thankful heart. Think of the potluck again: God fills our plate with wonderful gifts. It’s okay to have a very full plate. That’s what God wants, to give to you all that you need and more. You’ve got all that you need. Go ahead and live for others. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 1:1; The Festival of the Holy Trinity; May 31, 2026

In the Beginning God...

Genesis 1:1; The Festival of the Holy Trinity; May 31, 2026
Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

In the beginning God… (Genesis 1:1a)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

He was there at the beginning. Not just there, but active. The next word in the English text is created. The first thing that happened… God created.

The Hebrew puts it just a bit differently.

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים

In the beginning, at first, to start with, created God…

That’s the normal way to say things in that language. The verb, create (בָּרָ֣א) comes before God (אֱלֹהִ֑ים). The action comes first then the actor. It means the same thing.

But there is a small problem. בָּרָ֣א — create — is singular. He created. And אֱלֹהִ֑ים, God, is plural. Gods? And yet, it has never been translated that way. God, אֱלֹהִ֑ים, in the Bible uses singular verbs. Is it just a matter of the plural of majesty? When kings and such were used in the plural as a matter of importance. Well, maybe. But I think Genesis is telling us something else.

In some sense, God (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) is plural, used with singular verbs, like בָּרָ֣א, and therefore also… singular.

To our New Testament ears, and on Trinity Sunday, we automatically, and quickly, jump to the Trinity. Three in One, One in Three. We just confessed the Athanasian Creed. It lays out the Trinity very clearly. Problem solved… well not quite.

As the Jehovah’s Witnesses are sure to point out, “The word Trinity is not in the Bible.” And they are right. The word Trinity is a doctrinal word that comes in the 5th or 6th Century. And to be sure it describes what is found in the Bible. The word itself isn’t in there.

Now, when you have your meeting with President Finnern in a couple of weeks, that’s not the time to tell him, “Pastor denies the Trinity.” I confessed the Trinity right along with you. I believe in the Trinity. But, I have to acknowledge that the word itself isn’t there.

And I think it’s good to try to hear it with Old Testament ears. Especially this, the very first chapter, and very first verse of the Bible.

In the beginning God created…

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים

In the Old Testament Church, God (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) was confessed as One.

שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה׀ אֶחָֽד

Hear, O Israel, YHWH our God, YHWH is One. (Deuteronomy 6:4)

And One (אֶחָֽד) means one. They were not polytheists. There aren’t competing gods, there are not tribal deities battling each other. There is one Creator over all things. Uniquely singular.

But… this is the key. There is a complex unity in God. And the text backs that up. Right here in our text it says,

The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:2)

The Spirit of God, in Scripture, is not an impersonal force, ala Jehovah’s Witnesses. He speaks. He grieves. He leads. He empowers. The Spirit, the Holy Spirit, as we say, is divine. He is God.

And right here in the first chapter of Genesis we encounter another odd thing.

“And God said…”

God creates by His Word. Again and again the pattern is repeated:

“And God said… and it was so.”

The Word of God creates. The New Testament later connects this Word directly to the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son. St. John writes:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

God creates by speaking. Yet this Word is more than mere sound waves passing through the air. More than an abstract command.

The Word is with God, and the Word is God. (John 1:1)

Genesis leaves the mystery largely unexplained. Moses simply records,

And God said.

But John pulls back the curtain. The Word through whom all things were made is the eternal Son of God.

Where Genesis hints, John speaks plainly. Where Genesis gives us shadows, John gives us the name. The Word through whom creation came into being is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.

But the Hebrew Scriptures are far from done with this point. All throughout we see the person called “The Angel of the Lord” (מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה, mal’akh YHWH).

His first appearance is in Genesis Chapter 16.

The angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the wilderness… (Genesis 16:7)

The word angel in Hebrew means messenger. Angels are messengers. But the unique thing about the Angel of YHWH is that He doesn’t only bring a message. He makes a promise.

I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude. (Genesis 16:10)

This Angel is different from the rest. This One speaks with the authority to do what He says. They say, “Thus says YHWH.” This One says, “I will…”

So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing.” (Genesis 16:13)

Notice what has happened. The text calls Him the Angel of YHWH. Yet Hagar identifies the One speaking to her as YHWH Himself.

As the Old Testament unfolds, the picture becomes clearer. The Angel of YHWH is distinct from YHWH, and yet He is called YHWH. He speaks as God. He receives worship as God. He exercises divine authority. He forgives sins. He does the things that belong to God alone.

The mystery is growing. The Old Testament Church still confesses that God is one. Yet within that oneness there is a distinction. There is someone who is with God, and yet is God.

In Genesis, the Trinity is not fully explained. Moses does not interrupt his writing to confess the Athanasian Creed. Israel confessed God truly, but they did not yet see Him clearly.

The Old Testament Church truly knew God. But they knew Him in promise, shadow, and anticipation. They saw hints and glimpses. They heard the promises. They encountered the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Angel of YHWH. Yet the mystery remained.

The full unveiling, the resolution of the shadows, does not come in the text of Genesis. It does not come through grammatical clues or theological deduction. It comes in a person.

It comes in Jesus Christ.

The Apostle John takes us back to the very beginning:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Suddenly the shadows begin to lift. The Word who created all things is revealed as the Son. The Spirit who hovered over the waters is revealed as the Holy Spirit. The God whom Israel confessed as One is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

But even here the revelation is not yet complete. The clearest revelation of the Trinity does not come at Bethlehem, nor at the Jordan River, nor on the Mount of Transfiguration.

It comes at the cross.

The full unveiling comes in Jesus. It wasn’t a “The Trinity Exists” moment. It was, “Now we finally see who God truly is.”

To be sure, the veil has already begun to lift at Jesus’ Baptism. There we see the Son standing in the water. We see the Spirit descending as a dove. We hear the voice of the Father from heaven. The mystery is becoming clear. The God confessed by Israel as One is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

But it is at the cross that all the shadows of the Old Testament finally converge.

The Father sends the Son:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The Son willingly obeys the Father’s will:

Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done. (Luke 22:42)

He suffers. He dies. He bears the sins of the world.

And the Spirit is no less active:

…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:14)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all active in the salvation of the world.

And here is the great revelation. The Trinity is not merely a doctrine to be confessed. The Trinity is the God who saves. The Father gives. The Son is given. The Spirit delivers the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice. The God who created the world in Genesis is the God who redeems the world at Calvary.

Here we see how God is love.

Before creation, God was already relational. The Father loved the Son. The Son loved the Father. The Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son. Before there was a world to create, before there were sinners to redeem, before there was anything at all except God, there was love.

Without the Trinity, God’s love becomes merely something God does.

With the Trinity, love belongs to who God eternally is.

And that is what the cross reveals.

The cross reveals not only what God does. The cross reveals who God is.

The Father gives His Son.

The Son gives Himself.

The Spirit delivers the fruits of that sacrifice.

The God who created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1 is not distant, cold, or detached. He is love. And at the cross, that eternal love is revealed for all the world to see.

If you want to know what the Trinity looks like, do not begin with diagrams or mathematical formulas. Look to the cross. There the Father gives His Son. There the Son lays down His life. There the Spirit accomplishes and delivers salvation. There, at last, we see clearly who God truly is: the Father giving His Son, the Son giving Himself, and the Spirit delivering that salvation to sinners. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Acts 2:1–21; The Festival of Pentecost; May 24, 2026

Acts 2:1–21; The Festival of Pentecost; May 24, 2026
Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The history of the world is full of people who have tried to reach up to heaven. At Babel they tried to build a tower. World religions are full of people trying with morality. Mystics try with inner experience. Politics tries with power. That’s the nature of people. But Pentecost turns it upside down. God comes down to people. God acts.

At Pentecost the disciples weren’t seeking out some spiritual experience. They were waiting. They weren’t shouting revival in the streets. They weren’t seeking to create a movement. They were gathered together waiting…

Then the sound of wind. The fire appeared. The Spirit was there. And all of it was God coming down to them. At Pentecost God publicly revealed and gathered His New Testament Church. The church is God’s creation.

The apostles speaking in tongues is a bit odd, it seems. But the important part of it is that the people understood what they were saying. The tongues they were speaking were languages that the people gathered understood. God was preaching, through the Apostles. They were preaching Christ crucified, dead, buried and risen. And that was huge. Christ is preached, people understood. God wants Jesus preached, and he wants him preached in public.

Martin Luther said, “The church is God’s mouth house.” Pentecost fits that perfectly. God speaking though specific people. The Church continues as God’s public speaking house in the world. The Holy Scriptures. Holy Baptism. Holy Absolution. Holy Communion. All God’s voice speaking and doing what God does. Everything is external. The church delivers God’s Word.

There is a word for God working otherwise. It is called enthusiasm. The Greek word is ἐνθουσιασμός. It means having a god within. When the Greeks used it, they were referring to divine possession. Ecstatic inspiration. Even a trance-like revelation. A god speaks directly inside a person apart from ordinary means.

Luther spent a great deal of time speaking against it. He condemned mystical revelations, inner voices, direct inspiration claims, dreams treated as revelation, rejection of preaching and sacraments, spiritualism detached from Scripture. He spoke so fervently against it because fallen humanity wants direct access to God, spirituality without means, revelation without Scripture, and glory without Christ crucified.

Pentecost actually argues against enthusiasm. The Spirit binds Himself to means: words, preaching, water, bread and wine. Scripture never pushes people to inward private revelation. When the Spirit is at work, Christ crucified is forefront. The Spirit points us outside of ourselves to Christ. The Holy Spirit always rides in the vehicle of the Word.

It goes against our sinful human nature, but this idea is absolutely critical. Peter, in his Pentecost sermon, doesn’t spend any time explaining tongues. What does he do? He preaches. He preaches Christ crucified. He preaches Christ risen. He preaches forgiveness of sin through Christ’s cross. That tells you all you need to know. That is what Pentecost, the birthday of the New Testament church, is really all about. The Spirit does not come to replace Christ. He comes to proclaim Christ.

In a real sense, Pentecost reverses what happened at the tower of Babel. In Genesis 11, humanity was united.

“Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves.”

It was fallen people attempting to ascend to heaven by its own power.

The focus was “let us build,” “let us make a name,” human glory, human achievement, and human unity apart from God.

The tower of Babel was not merely about architecture. It was about pride. They were trying to have salvation without grace, unity without truth, trying to reach heaven without God’s mercy. So God judged Babel by confusing their language and scattering them across the earth. The very thing they trusted for unity — their common speech — became the instrument of division.

At Pentecost, humanity is again gathered from many nations: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Romans, Arabs, Egyptians, and many more. But now God does the work.

At Babel, humanity tried to rise up to God. At Pentecost, God comes down to humanity.

Pentecost does not erase nations, cultures, or languages. God does not create one earthly culture or one political kingdom. Instead, He unites sinners from every tribe and language through one Gospel and one Savior.

The Church becomes universal — catholic — not because earthly distinctions disappear, but because Christ gathers believers from every nation into one body.

This is why Pentecost is so important for understanding the Church. The Church is not built upon race, nationality, politics, culture, or earthly power. The Church is created by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of Christ crucified and risen.

And that means Pentecost is not merely an event from long ago. Pentecost continues wherever Christ is preached faithfully. The same Holy Spirit who descended upon the apostles is still at work now through the same Gospel. That is what is happening here today.

The Spirit is at work through preached words. Through Scripture read aloud. Through Baptism. Through Absolution. Through the body and blood of Christ placed into your mouths for the forgiveness of sins.

That may not seem dramatic to the world. There are no visible tongues of fire resting above your heads. There is no rushing wind shaking the walls of this church. But the greater miracle remains.

Sinners hear Christ crucified. Sinners are forgiven. Faith is created. The dead are made alive. The Church is gathered.

And that is the true miracle of Pentecost. The world still searches for salvation in power, politics, inward spirituality, emotional experiences, and human achievement. Humanity still tries to build Babels. But the Lord still comes down to sinners through His Word. And where Christ is preached, there the Holy Spirit is at work. There the Church lives. There sinners are saved. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

John 14:1-6; Rollie Adkins Funeral Sermon; May 18, 2026

Rollie Adkins Funeral Sermon

John 14:1–6

May 18, 2026
Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1–6, ESV)

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus said: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”

I did not know Rollie as many of you did. You knew his life, his work, his stories, his strengths, and his struggles far better than I ever could. But there is one thing I do know about Rollie with absolute certainty, because it is true of every person gathered here today: Rollie was a sinner.

And I am not speaking ill of the dead. I would say the very same thing about myself and every one of you. Scripture says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

And the proof is here before us today. “The wages of sin is death.” Death itself stands before us as proof that God’s Word is true. This is why hearts are troubled at funerals. This is why death grieves us so deeply. We know instinctively that death is not how things are supposed to be. Death is an enemy.

And yet, this is exactly why the words of Jesus matter so much today. “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Notice Jesus does not say death is not real. He does not say grief is imaginary. He does not tell His disciples to ignore sorrow. No, these words are spoken on the night before His own death. Jesus Himself is walking toward the cross. He knows suffering. He knows tears. He knows death. And yet He says: “Believe in God; believe also in Me.”

Rollie spent much of his life working, planning, building, and providing. You can read it in the obituary. Hard work from a young age. Physical labor. Engineering. Business. Investing. Building a life. Building a home. Finally settling here in the north woods that he loved.

And more importantly, building a family whom he loved deeply. Today, you feel that loss most deeply, Mary, Chris, Allison, Kevin, Cole, and all the rest of Rollie’s family and friends who mourn him today. And we feel it with you.

Death leaves behind a growing emptiness. An empty chair at the table. A quiet room that once carried his voice. Conversations that now live only in memory. An empty cabin by the lake waiting for someone who will not walk through its door again. And that grief is real.

But Jesus reminds us today that every earthly home is temporary. Paul says in 2 Corinthians that this earthly life is a tent. Temporary. Fragile. Passing away. And we know that is true. Homes decay. Bodies weaken. Strength fades. Wealth disappears. Eventually every earthly thing slips through our fingers.

But Jesus speaks of another home. “In My Father’s house are many rooms.” The old King James says “many mansions.” But the Greek word really means dwelling places. Abiding places. Permanent homes. Not temporary tents. Permanent dwellings.

And the center of that home is not golden streets or heavenly luxury. The center is Christ Himself. Listen again to what Jesus says: “I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.” That is the comfort of the Christian faith. Not merely that believers go somewhere after death. But that Christ receives them to Himself.

Paul says: “To be away from the body [is] to be at home with the Lord.” The Christian dead are not lost. Not abandoned. Not forgotten. They belong to Christ.

And notice something else. Jesus says: “I go to prepare a place for you.” How does He prepare that place? Through His cross. Through His suffering. Through His death. Through His resurrection.

The comfort of today is not that Rollie was good enough. The comfort is not that he worked hard enough, or succeeded enough, or deserved enough. The comfort is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Jesus prepares the Father’s house by dying for sinners and rising again. That means the Christian hope rests entirely on Him. Entirely on Christ.

And there is even more here. Many people think Christianity teaches only this: you die and go to heaven. But the promise is even greater than that. Yes, those who die in Christ are with Him now. But the final Christian hope is not disembodied spirits floating somewhere far away. The final hope is the resurrection of the body.

Isaiah says: “He will swallow up death forever.” And that is exactly what Christ will do. The day is coming when Christ Himself will return. The dead will be raised. Creation itself will be renewed. New heavens and a new earth. No more death. No more graves. No more funerals. “This body in the grave we lay there to await that solemn day.” The dwelling Christ prepares reaches its fullness in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

And so Jesus says finally: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus does not merely teach the way. He is the Way. He is the narrow gate. He is the resurrection and the life.

And so this funeral is not only about Rollie. It is also for you. For your faith. For your repentance. For your hope. Because every person gathered here faces the same reality. The wages of sin is death.

But Christ has died. Christ is risen. And Christ will come again.

And therefore, for those who belong to Him, death does not have the final word.

So today we grieve. But not without hope. Because Christ has prepared a place for His people. And where He is, there His faithful shall be also. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Ephesians 1:15–23; Ascension; May 17, 2026

The Ascension of Our Lord, Jesus Christ

Ephesians 1:15–23

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN
May 17, 2023

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ascension seems a bit strange to Christians.

The Ascension almost seems like an ending.

Christmas begins something.
Good Friday accomplishes something.
Easter triumphs over something.

But Ascension can sound like Jesus simply went away.

As though the disciples watched Him disappear into the clouds and now the Church is left alone to continue without Him.

That is how many Christians quietly think about Ascension.

Jesus was here once.
Jesus acted once.
Jesus spoke once.

But now He is gone.

But the Scriptures teach the opposite.

Ascension is not Jesus leaving His church.

It is about Christ taking His throne.

Jesus Christ, the crucified One, now reigns over His church.

Lots of people don’t look at this Ephesians text as an Ascension text.

But it is.

It is exactly what Paul is talking about.

He speaks about rulers, authorities, powers, and dominions.

And to be honest, in our day and age, all of that looks like a mess.

The world is a mess.

Wars rage across the world.
Governments promise peace and produce corruption.
False teaching creeps into the Church itself.
Christians are mocked.
Churches shrink.
Death continues its relentless work.
Cemeteries keep growing.
Hospitals remain full.

And every generation of Christians begins to wonder the same thing:

Is Christ really reigning?

There is nothing new here.

The world is always the world; societies are built on corruption and greed.

The church faces the temptation to doubt Jesus’ words.

Even the disciples stood staring into the sky after Jesus ascended.

Into this doubt, Paul says God:

“raised [Jesus] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand.”

He uses enthronement language.

Seated at the right hand of God.

The power of God is there at His right hand.

Christ isn’t floating somewhere in space.

He is seated at the power of God, at the authority of God, at God’s dominion, and His kingship.

And notice:

The One who reigns isn’t merely God.

The One reigning is Jesus Christ.

The man born of Mary.

The One with the nail marks in His hands and feet, and the spear scar.

The One who was crucified for sinners.

The crucified man rules the universe.

Not Caesar.
Not presidents.
Not billionaires.
Not armies.
Not the devil.

The One ruling creation is the One who allowed nails to be driven through His hands.

The One seated above every power is the One who carried a cross through the streets of Jerusalem.

And that changes everything.

Then Paul pushes it one step further.

It is, in fact, the very heart of this text.

“And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church.”

Over all things, Paul says.

But he doesn’t end there.

Over all things to the church.

To the church.

In other words, everything Christ rules, He does for the benefit of His people, the Church.

The ἐκκλησίᾳ.

The Greek word means “called out.”

Those Jesus calls through Holy Baptism, through faith, are the beneficiaries of Jesus’ rule.

We benefit from all that we see Him doing.

Just look at this church building—I see Him working here.

But that’s obvious.

He rules even in things we don’t understand.

He rules in suffering.
He rules in hardship.
He rules even in death.

There is nothing that happens that escapes His authority.

Absolutely nothing.

That means your suffering is not random.

Your hardships are not meaningless.

Even death itself has been bent into service under Christ.

The devil intends destruction.
The world intends chaos.
Sin intends ruin.

But Christ reigns over all of it.

And if you think there are powers outside His control, Paul answers that too:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
— Romans 8:38–39

Notice how Paul piles up the universe itself:

death,
life,
angels,
rulers,
powers,
height,
depth,
all creation.

He is exhausting language itself trying to make one point:

Nothing can separate you from Christ.

In other words, the One governing history isn’t your enemy.

He rules over everything in love, for you.

He is your Savior.

And being that, everything that happens is used for your benefit.

When we think that the Ascension means Jesus is absent, the Scriptures teach exactly the opposite.

Christ now fills all things.

He is here every time we gather.

He is reigning over His church through speaking His Word, through His activity in Holy Baptism, through His real presence in the Holy Supper, and especially through the forgiveness proclaimed to you.

The ascended Lord Jesus Christ is here now.

He isn’t here because you can feel Him here.

He isn’t present here because we use our emotions to climb up to Him.

We don’t gather around memories of Jesus.

The church gathers around the living Christ who still speaks and gives Himself.

Christianity is not nostalgia.

The Church is not a museum preserving stories about a dead religious figure.

Christ is alive.
Christ reigns.
Christ speaks now.
Christ forgives now.
Christ feeds now.
Christ is present now.

Paul prays.

The text is a kind of prayer.

He wants us to understand how Jesus is reigning.

He gives us hope in our calling.

We are ἐκκλησίᾳ, called out, the Church.

The Church is the ἐκκλησία — the “called out ones.”

Called out of darkness.
Called out of unbelief.
Called out of death itself.

Christ reigns for those He has called to Himself.

He calls us out of the world to Himself.

He gives purpose and meaning.

We have an inheritance.

Not only a heavenly one, but a new earthly one.

And everything He does is for the Church.

Why does Paul spend ink on those things?

Because we lose sight of Jesus reigning.

Christians see the world the way it is.

And Satan is pushing you to believe that evil is winning.

That history is random and rudderless.

That Jesus is distant.

That He left the church and abandoned us.

But Ascension says otherwise.

Jesus reigns now.

He is the One reigning over all heaven and earth.

And He is the same One who died and rose for you.

Ascension is not the story of Christ abandoning His church.

It is a public declaration:

Sin is defeated.
Death is conquered.
Satan is crushed.
The sacrifice has been accepted.
And the crucified Christ now reigns forever.

The throne of heaven is occupied by your Savior.

And He reigns for you. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.