Romans 4:1–8, 13–17; The Second Sunday in Lent – March 1, 2026

Nothing in My Hand I Bring

Romans 4:1–8, 13–17
The Second Sunday in Lent – March 1, 2026
Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

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

You know how the world works. You have to struggle to earn a living. Paychecks don’t fall out of the sky. You can’t sit around the house expecting a roasted chicken to fly into your mouth. (Paraphrase of Martin Luther) Your earthly future depends on your work. Performance generally meets with approval. If you don’t work for yourself, you may dread performance reviews. If you do well, you will get a raise, if not… you may lose your job. That’s the way the world works.

We understand how that works. It is in our nature.

“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

That’s the judgment of God over Adam’s sin. It carries over to us. We know what it means.

The problem is that when dealing with God, we assume that spiritual things work the same way. If we try harder, God will bless us. If we live better, God will approve of us. If my faith is strong enough, God will not put us through hard times. God will accept me, because I have earned it.

Romans 4 dismantles all that thinking. Paul makes it clear.

“To the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.” (v.4)

He is talking about good works. If you do good things, you earn it, you deserve it and you claim it as your due. That is a closed fist approach to God. I have improved. I tried to curb my sin. Because I work hard, I deserve a blessing.

But Paul follows up v. 4 with v. 5.

God justifies the ungodly.

It is shocking. God justifies the sinful. He doesn’t account for good works for blessing. He doesn’t bless the improved, the religious, or even the sincere.

God’s law doesn’t reward effort. It exposes sin. Our best efforts still come from sinful hearts. That’s the issue. Sinful hearts produce sinful works. The sin can’t be filtered out of the good stuff. If salvation is dependent on good works, they must be perfect. If salvation is dependent on performance, you are already lost.

When Paul writes, his point is devastating. That’s because we expect God to work within our experience. Paul says he simply doesn’t work that way. He says, look at Abraham.

“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Faith, believing God, is not a work, a contribution, or some kind of spiritual achievement. Believe, the Greek word is πιστεύω — to rely completely on what God promises, even when nothing else supports it. Faith has an object. Faith without an object is useless. Abraham believed God.

In other words, faith is an open hand. It receives from God. Promises are received and believed, because God is faithful. This is saving faith.

According to Paul’s words: when faith is present, righteousness is counted, sin is not counted, and forgiveness is given.

On his death bed Martin Luther scrawled these words on a scrap of paper:

“We are beggars. This is true.”

It was found after his death. We are beggars. A beggar receives without claim, without merit, with an open hand.

Paul continues.

“That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed.”

He answers the question about why God’s way is different. If salvation were based on works or merit, no one would qualify. According to God’s law you must be perfect. We know this is true, but we don’t really want to believe it. If everything depended on your actions, there would be no certainty, because your actions, in the spiritual world are inconsistent.

But, Paul says, because salvation depends on faith, it rests entirely on grace. Because God is faithful, his grace is sure. Salvation is a guarantee. Your salvation is secure because it does not rest on your performance. It rests on God’s promise.

“The God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”

As we step forward in Lent, we look forward to celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. Paul uses resurrection language. God gives life to the dead. He is speaking about your resurrection and mine. God’s ultimate promise.

Paul quotes David.

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven.”

How is it then that God counts faith as righteousness? How is it that He doesn’t count sin? It is because of Jesus on the cross. God counted sin to Christ there. In His suffering, bleeding, dying, and being forsaken by the Father, He has taken our sin.

This is the great exchange. Our sin goes onto Jesus. His righteousness comes to us through faith. God has created the situation. Faith grasps hold of it. Faith is the empty hand that says, “God did that for me.”

Now that empty hand holds forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life.

There are two ways to stand before God: a closed fist or an open hand. The empty hand says, “Give me what You promised.” Faith isn’t strong believing. It is simply:

“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling.”

God does not ask you to bring something to Him. He asks you to come empty — so He can fill your hands with Christ.

Amen.

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

2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:2; Ash Wednesday; February 18, 2026;

Be Reconciled to God

Text: 2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:2 (ESV)

Occasion: Ash Wednesday

Date: February 18, 2026

Location: Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

“We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

— 2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:2 (ESV)

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

On Ash Wednesday we start Lent by telling the truth. It is symbolized by the ashes on your forehead. They say it starkly.

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

— Genesis 3:19

No, it isn’t optimistic. It’s a declaration of death, yours. There is no sentimentality. There is nothing in death that is sentimental, it is death, an end to life. Families are torn apart. Relationships are broken. No matter how much we try to bring a softness to it, it can’t be done. It is the primary problem with life. We all die. The ashes don’t ask for some kind of self-improvement. They are stark. You are dust, you will return to it.

It is the full truth, the full story, the full consequences of your sin.

Into that truth, Paul speaks:

Be reconciled to God.

You need reconciliation. Something is broken. You can’t fix it.

What Paul doesn’t say is, Improve yourself. He says, Be reconciled.

In your sinful nature you are separated from God. That’s where reconciliation is necessary. Sin isn’t a weakness in you. You are not weak as if you could work harder and end your weakness. Sin is a broken relationship with God. A rupture of that one on one.

The ashes say it. You can’t fix it. You can not control death. You can’t beat it. It will come to you. And you can’t negotiate with God about it. The die is cast.

And it is urgent. You don’t know when you will die. That is left to God alone. You could die in your sleep tonight, or you might not even make it home. It isn’t theoretical. Ash Wednesday isn’t about sometime in the future. It is about now. It is about tonight.

If we stopped our sermon here, we would leave the church in despair. That is the Law doing its full work. When it is preached properly, you are left with nothing. No action, no pleading, no bargains, no good works can change what you are.

But Paul doesn’t leave it there. He interjects the truth of the Gospel. He says it clearly and precisely:

“For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

— 2 Corinthians 5:21 (quoted from the reading)

This is the center of Christianity. The Law presses us down to death. The Gospel raises us up to life. God does not send an advisor to tell you what to do. He does something far more radical.

He sends His Son. And His Son does not stand at a safe distance. He steps into our place.

He made Him to be sin who knew no sin.

Jesus Christ — true God and true man — takes our guilt as His own. He bears our judgment. He carries our death. He does not become a sinner by committing sin. He becomes sin by bearing it. The weight that crushes us is laid on Him. And the righteousness that belongs to Him is given to us. It isn’t symbolic. His death was a real human death, dying as a substitution. His death was the death of God, it isn’t partial. It is complete. Jesus on the cross says so.

It is finished.

One word in Greek:

Τετέλεσται

It is completely done. The substitution is complete. The end of the project is now.

Jesus became sin. He dies for it. And specifically, our sin. Your sin and mine. He becomes it and dies for it. To be clear, on the cross Jesus is your sin, he is your guilt, he is your death, he is your punishment. Because of the Τετέλεσται, you don’t face what he faced. It is finished, done, paid in full.

…so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Looking at the text we might think that the word “might” would install a bit of doubt about the outcome. For those grammar nazis out there, the word become (γίνομαι in Greek) is in the subjunctive mood. The “so that” with the subjunctive doesn’t leave any room for debate. The better sense of it is:

God made Christ to be sin for this purpose: That we become the righteousness of God in Him.

There is no uncertainty in the accomplishment. Jesus did it, we become. Not receiving, not imitating, not growing, but becoming.

It is all in what is called the Great Exchange. Jesus takes our sin. We get the righteousness of God. Our sin, guilt and death are His. We get His righteousness, standing before the Father and His life. You can’t accomplish any of this. It is something that God has already done in Jesus.

The ashes on your head isn’t proof of repentance. It is a confession. I am dust. I am a sinner. I am bound for hell. It is telling the truth. But now, after the ashes, Christ feeds you. His word of forgiveness enters your ears, his body and blood and the forgiveness that goes with them enters your mouth. The one who became your sin, now gives you his body and blood. It is reconciliation proclaimed and delivered to you, for you.

So, tonight as you leave our church, you are marked twice. Once with ashes: you will die. Then marked by Christ: you are reconciled, you will live. The ashes don’t have the last word. Amen.

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

Luke 17:11-19; The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost; October 12, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marias, MN

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”” (Luke 17:11–19, ESV)

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

“As [Jesus] was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance…” they were unclean, it was all they could do… stand at a distance. No one would tolerate their presence any other way. The disease that plagued them, leprosy, was plain for all to see. You could only cover up so much… but, hands showed, and faces… you couldn’t hide the white glossy skin or the black rotting spots, you couldn’t hide the missing fingers and swollen feet. Leprosy was obvious, and it made them unclean. All they could do was stand at a distance and shout hoping that Jesus would hear them. All they could do was believe that if he heard them, he would do what he had done for others. “Jesus, Master, have pity on us! Heal us. Take away these awful spots… remove this uncleanness.” Jesus had done it before. He could do it again.

Annabelle felt dirty, and nothing seemed to take it away. She showered five or six times a day, but nothing helped. In her mind she knew that it wasn’t her fault, she had been careful, she had followed all the rules… she never walked at night alone, she avoided dark places, she was always alert to the danger, but it caught her by surprise. It was a public place, but still no one seemed to notice. No one came to help her. The rape made her feel dirty. And even now, months later it made here feel sick. She just couldn’t get over the shameful feelings that overwhelmed her. Her attacker had been caught, he was convicted, he was guilty not her. She knew it. “So why do I feel guilty?” she asked herself. “Other people must feel it, too.” She saw how friends avoided her. Somehow she was ‘tainted.’ They never knew what to say, it was easier to just keep a distance. It just felt better that way. Annabelle felt abandoned, outcast and alone. And she called out to God too, from a distance. How could he love her? How could she come into his presence? She was dirty. She was unclean.

We know what it means to be unclean. It is a violation of what should be. We are repulsed by rotten food, blood, and skin diseases. All we want to do is turn away from it and put as much distance as possible between ourselves and the ‘unclean’ thing.

These feelings are only a small window into the uncleanness that all people have in God’s sight.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48, ESV)

“Be perfectly clean, without spot or blemish!” It’s a demand we can’t abide. We know the uncleanness that plagues all people. We know dirt, and filth. We know we are tainted, unclean, and polluted; we’ve seen it in others… “He sure got his hands dirty on that deal.” We say about a shady business. We see it in ourselves. It is there just below the surface; lurking about… thoughts of selfishness, greed, and desire. We know ‘unclean’ and we know we are it.

God is holy and perfect. If we are not perfectly perfect, completely clean, we are offensive to him. If we are unclean, He cannot tolerate our presence. We cannot have access to him; he will not come near us, as long as we remain contaminated. We cannot scrub ourselves clean.

Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord GOD.” (Jeremiah 2:22, ESV)

Our uncleanness leaves us abandoned, outcast and alone.

But God has come near to us. "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" the Lepers shouted. Jesus saw them, and he healed them. He made them clean. He removed their disease and he sent them to the priests to have them declared ‘clean.’ They would offer a sacrifice to God. A blood offering, to announce that they were free from the disease, they were clean. Jesus drew near to them by healing them.

Jesus drew near to us when He entered our contaminated world. He came to us, perfectly clean, perfectly holy, perfectly human, perfectly God. And he came to wash us clean. He didn’t come only to clean diseases of the skin he came to clean the disease of the heart. The inner uncleanness that lies just below the surface. The dirt that we can’t clean, he washes clean by shedding his holy and precious blood, and his innocent suffering and death. His blood does what we cannot.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Psalm 51:2, ESV)

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7, ESV)

We cry for mercy. “Oh Lord, have pity… I am unclean… I have sinned against you, in thought word and deed.” He answers our prayers. “I forgive you. I make you clean.”

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7, ESV)

God no longer recoils from us. He comes near to us. Where two or three are gathered in my name, I promise you my presence.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13, ESV)

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,” (Ephesians 5:25–26, ESV)

This was the verse Annabelle clung to. “… washing with water through the word.” Whenever, she felt dirty and defiled, she turned to what God had done for her in Baptism. God had cleaned her, he had accepted her, and he had drawn near to her. “…wash me and I will be clean.” She would say to herself as she made the sign of the cross. She remembered that she had been saved by the blood of Christ, and washed clean, even if she didn’t always feel clean. She knew it was true because God had promised it. “Thank you Jesus for making me clean.” She prayed. “Rise and go, your faith has made you clean.” God says to her.

As the ten men walked down the road toward the temple the suddenly began to realize that each one of them had been healed. Gone were the sores. Gone were the dark rotting spots… they were clean, totally, utterly clean. The looked at one another in amazement, and they began to run… to the temple… to the presence of God. But one of them stopped, “to the presence of God?!?” He said. He knew were God was. He knew who had cleansed him. He knew where he had to go. He turned around and ran even faster. “Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!” he said with each step louder and louder as he approached the presence of Jesus. He threw himself at Jesus feet, wrapped his arms around him. “Thank you! Jesus. Praise God!” he shouted. “I’m clean!” “Arise and go, your faith has made you clean.” Jesus said to him.

The leper was made clean. Annabelle was made clean. We have been made clean. No longer are we abandoned, outcast and alone. No longer do we shrink from God’s presence, nor does he recoil at ours. He came to us in Jesus Christ to cleanse us from our sins. He comes to us with his presence as we gather here in this place. “Thank you, Jesus, for making us clean.” We say.

And there is just one more thing. Just as Jesus is present with us now, he is present with us always… just as he promised. But he will be present with us in an even greater and more mysterious way in just a few moments. He will come to us again with his blood to cleanse us again… “This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” for your cleansing. Jesus says. “Take and eat, take and drink, you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus.” We approach his presence at this rail and kneel at his feet. And we eat and drink and his blood purifies. We draw near to him because he has drawn near to us.

Did you know that often the Lord’s Supper is called the “Eucharist.” It’s a Greek word that means “Thanksgiving.” Because of Jesus, because of the shedding of his blood, because of his death, because of his resurrection, we are no longer ‘at a distance’ from God; we are in his very presence. We are clean. “He recalls his promises and leads his people forth in joy, with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia.” Thank you, Jesus, for making us clean.

We give thanks to you, almighty God, that you have refreshed us thorough this salutary gift, and we implore you that of your mercy you would strengthen us through the same in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; through Jesus Christ, you Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

Luke 17:1-2; The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost; October 5, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

And [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. (Luke 17:1–2, ESV)

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

Σκάνδαλον, a scandal. The English just isn’t strong enough. It uses “temptations to sin” when the Greek word is “scandal”. A scandal is a trap, a snare. It is used particularly to trap a small animal, like a bird. In ancient times a scandal trap was made to look safe. An easy place to get food for shelter. The hunter would smear a glue, called bird lime, on branches where the bird perched. When it does it is stuck by its feet or feathers and can’t get free. Or a snare would loop around a foot or neck to trap it. The scandal traps the unsuspecting. Jesus says, scandals are sure to come! He’s talking about anything that lures someone into sin or shakes faith. He is blunt. You are going to have to deal with these. I always talk about how false doctrine is always dangerous. It causes “stumbling”. It is a snare. A trap. Jesus gives us warning. They will always be there, in the church. He’s talking about a careless words, moral failures, hypocrisy, and false teaching. It especially applies to pastors. The congregation is called to be on alert. False doctrine can sound convincing, but it is a stumbling block, especially when proclaimed in false authority from the pulpit, souls are in danger. When a child hears an adult Christian lie, when a pastor covers up sin, when teaching is twisted to accommodate the culture, it causes a stumbling block for people. We need to be especially vigilant. CFW Walther, the first president of the Missouri Synod, often said the sheep are to judge the shepherd. In other words, the church has a duty and responsibility to assure that what is preached is strict accordance with God’s Word. They are responsible for the voices they follow. A sermon is a life and death issue. If a pastor errors in that setting, the sheep may perish. Jesus issues fair warning. Be on alert, the scandals will come.

Causing God’s little ones scandal is serious. And although it is about children, it isn’t only children he is speaking about. He is certainly talking about children, but also those who are weak and vulnerable. Those who have already been led down the dangerous path of false doctrine. In other words, those who are easily led astray. Think about new converts, or socially insignificant members. Even those who are shaky, still learning, or have issues with their conscience. Jesus identifies with these. Whatever you do to the least of these… you did it to me. (Matt 25).

Sometimes the scandal doesn’t come from false doctrine outright, but from a pastor who forgets the purpose of preaching. The pulpit is not given for ranting against the latest actions of the government, or for pushing personal opinions, or for entertaining the people with stories and jokes. When a sermon becomes little more than a political tirade or a personal soapbox, it ceases to deliver Law and Gospel, and the sheep are left unfed. That is a stumbling block. Christ gave His Church pastors to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins in His name — not to thunder about Washington or St. Paul. If I preach my politics instead of Christ crucified, I lay a snare in front of the little ones. And Jesus’ warning is clear: woe to the one by whom such scandals come.

And it isn’t just pastors. And how easily scandals come! Think of the member who gossips about others, leaving the new believer confused about whether love really rules in Christ’s church. Think of the long-time Christian who treats worship casually, teaching by example that the gifts of Word and Sacrament are optional. Think of the parent who mocks the pastor’s sermon at the dinner table, undermining the faith of a child. Think of the church leader who excuses sin or teaches something contrary to God’s Word, and others follow him into error. All of these become stumbling blocks, snares to the “little ones” for whom Christ died.

Woe! (οὐαί). Small word strong consequences. It expresses deep sorrow and grief. It isn’t only a threat, but also a lament. And then he describes the least of the consequences.

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. (v2)

The millstone is a large one. A “donkey-millstone”. It was enormous, pushed by animals to grind the wheat. Not some small handheld millstone. If you were thrown into the water with a huge donkey-millstone around your neck you would have no hope of being saved. And the word sin is, you guessed it, causing a scandal, a stumbling block, for the little ones. The causing of a stumbling block for the little ones is sin that is not small matter. The drowning with a donkey-millstone is the just punishment.

But Woe! isn’t when Jesus says woe! it isn’t a gleeful threat but a sorrowful cry. The prophet make this clear.

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? (Ezekiel 18:23, ESV)

God’s justice demands punishment for sin. But he delights in showing mercy. Punishment is God’s “strange work” (opus alienum). Mercy is his “proper work” (opus proprium). The cross is the proof of that. He sent Jesus to suffer the punishment of sin for all people. He even punished his own son, to avoid punishing sinful people.

But the shocking this isn’t that preachers cause scandal, through hypocrisy, or false teaching, or moral failure. The greatest scandal is Jesus himself, on the cross. St. Paul says We preach Christ crucified, a scandal to the Jews and folly to the Greeks (1 Cor 1:23). It looks like failure and defeat to the whole world. But the bloody death of God on the cross is the trap, the scandal that traps the devil. Jesus walks into the scandal of the cross. He allowed himself to be mocked and beaten, condemned and cursed. He bore every useless word, every false doctrine, every pastoral failure, every stumbling block. He did it so that none of his little ones would be lost.

The cross is the ultimate millstone. It is judgment, drowning and death, not for you, but for another, in our place. He became the least, the smallest, the weakest, the most despised. He did it to redeem the least, the smallest, the weakest, the most despised. You and me, are those for whom he died. His death shows us just how precious every single one of us is.

but [Jesus] emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7–8, ESV)

He became a servant, in the eyes of the world, the least of all. He humbled himself to take on your sin and death, and rose again to bring you, the least, new life. The scandal that destroys faith is real — but the scandal that saves faith is greater. Christ crucified.

And just as scandals can harm the little ones, the love of Christ seen in a congregation does the opposite. A kind word of encouragement to another member that builds them up. A parent who takes the time to explain the sermon to a young one. A member who visits the member who temporarily can’t attend worship bringing companionship and comfort. These are examples of faith that strengthen instead of scandalizing.

Remember that you are connected to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus reverses everything through the cross. He carried it into the depths and left it buried there. What dragged us down now lifts us up. What meant our death has become our life. What was judgment has become salvation.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3–4, ESV)

So, lift up your heads, you who were once little ones. The scandal of the cross is your safety. The drowning is already done; you have died with Christ. The resurrection has already happened; you have been raised with him also. You are his—redeemed, forgiven and raised to walk in newness of life. The millstone is gone. The scandal is buried. The cross has triumphed. You belong to Jesus. Amen.

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

1 Timothy 3:1-15; The Sixteenth after Pentecost; September 28, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:1–16, ESV)

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

We live in a world of Job Descriptions. Everyone who is looking for a job wants to know if they qualify. St Paul, here in our text, gives one such list. It isn’t a job description for a CEO, but for Overseers and Deacons. These words are used in the New Testament to describe pastors.

I’ll be honest with you. This is a daunting list. I often find myself asking, “Am I really qualified?” I know my own weaknesses. I know my own faults. Both are numerous. I am indeed a sinner who needs Jesus. I know how easy it would be to make this sermon self-serving. All Pastors are a bit narcissistic.

But Paul isn’t hand us a pastors checklist for perfection. He is showing us, as a congregation, what it looks like when Christ shapes his servants to reflect his care.

I (and every pastor I know) look for God’s grace often, to endeavor to live out these qualifications, not for myself (ourselves) but in service of the church, in service of this congregation. God doesn’t give us this list to feed our pride. He gives it to say how Christ himself provides shepherds and servants so his people can benefit.

Paul says, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer (pastor), he desires a noble task.” I can testify, it doesn’t always feel so noble. But what the world sees a noble is not what God sees. Luther says, this “noble task” isn’t about prestige, but it is about the cross—hard labor, humility and suffering for the Word of God. It isn’t a career ladder to a better job, or a better church. It is Christ’s way of feeding his sheep his Word and Sacraments.

CFW Walther, the first president of the LCMS said, “The ministry is no human arrangement but God’s own institution.” (Kirche und Amt, Thesis I). What he means is that God describes what the ministry is, not us. So, we have Paul’s list.

Overseers: Must be above reproach, sober-minded, faithful in their households. And Deacons: dignified, truthful, and merciful. Oh and, also a man. I know this is controversial in the church at large. But it is very clear here in God’s word.

In a society that had women priests around every corner, Paul states clearly a pastor must “be the husband of one wife.” He doesn’t say “having one spouse.” He is clearly counter-cultural. The two words husband and wife that are gender specific. Literally he says, “one-woman man”. He didn’t use the common word for a person which is general neutral ἄνθρωπος, he used ἄνδρα, meaning husband, not spouse. It isn’t just a principle; it is gender specific.

The idea is God’s. It isn’t about ability. It doesn't claim men are better that women. Many women have the skills to be a good pastor. God chooses differently. It is about his created order. Nothing else. The church isn’t free to change what God desires because it is culturally relevant. Walther again: “The call to the ministry belongs to those qualified by Scripture, not by human preference.”

The fact is, Jesus was a man. He uses men, just as his twelve apostles, as his stand-ins. The pastor stands in Christ’s stead (in persona Christi). It is never about lording over others but serving others as Christ has by preaching, baptizing, absolving and feeding his body and blood. And in case you hadn’t thought it through it is the only requirement for a pastor that isn’t personal. Not all men are qualified to be pastors either.

An aside. Pastors are men, sinful men. They are prone to all the temptations of all men. In fact, you don’t have to think very hard to see examples of pastors who have fallen into grievous sin, particularly sexual sins. It is a great tragedy to the church. It causes the world to cluck their tongues and say; they are no better than anyone else. It causes the church, and especially the individual congregations involved, to doubt God’s provision for the church. It causes anger at the man and even at God. CFW Walther, who had a lot to say on the topic of pastors, said: The treasure does not lose its value, even if carried in a poor vessel. The truth is all pastors are flawed, sinful, poor vessels. And sin is sin. There are some sins, though, that are disqualifying for the office of the ministry. Those include sexual sins. But remember, God doesn’t promise sinless pastors, he only promises that he works through sinful men. Despite the sin, and even unbelief, he still preaches God’s word, he still baptizes, he still delivers his gifts faithfully. It is never about the faithfulness of the pastor, but the faithfulness of God. Also, there is no sin that isn’t covered by Jesus’ death. Even if a man can no longer be a pastor, he can still be forgiven in Christ.

Let’s talk a little about the two words Paul uses for a pastor in our text. First deacon (Greek: Διακόνους). The word itself means servant. You may have heard that means “through the dust”. That’s a folksy breaking down of the word into two ideas that probably aren’t intended. But I kinda like the image. The servant runs through the dust to deliver what is needed. It is at the heart of the pastoral service. Jesus himself came into the dust of earth to serve. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (διακονῆσαι) and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). (by the way the word “serve” in Jesus words is the same root word!)

Just think of the times the pastor is called to run through the dust. Sitting at the hospital bed when a member is broken and afraid. Offering council when a member is angry with the church. Visiting shut-ins with the Word and the Sacraments. Pouring water on the head of an infant. And the many quiet hours alone with an open bible, wrestling with a text on behalf of the congregation he serves. Getting dusty for the people of God, according to God’s call.

But, why pastors? Why sinful men? If flows from the Gospel itself. Article IV of the Augsburg Confession tells us the CenterPoint of our faith.

Our churches teach that people cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. By His death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His sight (Romans 3 and 4 [3:21–26; 4:5].

The article tells how we become justified in God’s sight. Not by works, but by faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Nothing is more important in the Christian faith. The very next article V says this:

So that we may obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given [John 20:22]. He works faith, when and where it pleases God [John 3:8], in those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake. This happens not through our own merits, but for Christ’s sake.

So that we may obtain this faith. God gives pastors to churches. In the words of my beloved professor, Norman Nagel. “God not only gives the goods, by he gives the way they can be got.” In other words, God provides what we need, at the time we need it, in a place where we can find, in a physical person. The question you may ask is “How do I know the promises of God are for me?” Well, the answer is “Because your head got wet in Holy Baptism.” God provided a means for you to be sure. He provided a pastor (normally) to do it.

In other words, God didn’t leave His promise floating in the air. He made sure it would reach you. He gave the ministry — pastors to preach it into your ears, to pour it on your head in Baptism, to place it on your tongue in the Supper. Or as Luther said, “The pastor is nothing more than Christ’s mouth and hands for his people.

It is God’s work. He has provided salvation to people. Jesus became a man, a human male, who preached and taught, ate and laughed, touched and cried. A true human being, whose death on the cross was for the sake of his people. All of it is very human, very physical. Of course he wasn’t only a man, he was God. So, his death on the cross was more than human. It stood for the sins of the whole world. And faith in Jesus is all that is required for salvation.

God not only provided salvation — He guaranteed that you would actually receive it. And the ways he does it, like always, in ways very physical. Words spoken, water poured, bread and wine given to eat and drink. That’s why the office matters. Not because pastors are perfect, but because God cares that nothing blocks His gifts from reaching His people. Amen.

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

Amos.8.4-7; The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost; September 21, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. (Amos 8:4-7, ESV)

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

“Oh, come, let us sin unto the Lord!” No, I didn’t forget the “g”. I really did say, “Come let us sin to the Lord.” Well, it’s what the prophet Amos is saying here. He tops his list of the sins of God’s people with not caring for the needy and preferring business to worship. “Let’s get church over with so we can get back to business. Let’s cut this stuff short so we can do what’s important. Let’s minimize our obligations to God, so we can spend our time doing what we want to do instead. Time is money. Let’s get back to what life is really all about… the pursuit of happiness!” And what’s worse the business practices they want to get back to are less than beneficial to the customers. Crooked scales and high prices combine for great profit margins, but poor customer service. They were coming to church, but it was the last place they wanted to be. Amos was point blunt. “You’re only here to get credit for being here. You want God to notice that you are doing your part, paying your fair share, but your mind is in the market. God’s Word is far from your heart when you are far from His house. You think that you are entitled to pursue happiness because you’ve parking in the pew.”

Well, it’s a good thing that Amos isn’t talking to us. This moldy old prophet couldn’t possibly have anything relevant to say. How could words scratched out 3,000 years ago mean anything to you and me? God really couldn’t be speaking to me. Could he? Oh come, let us sin unto the Lord! Watching your clock already? How long is the sermon going to be today? Week three Vikings vs Radiers. The roast is in the oven. I don’t want to spend my whole day here. Twice a month Communion would be better if it didn’t take so long. My time is valuable… Time is money… Ah, that’s what it’s about, isn’t it? We are not so far from God’s people who were hit between the eyes by Amos’ words. We do just what they did. We want put God in church and leave Him here. We grudgingly set aside this hour for God and no more. We pretend that God gets enough of us if we look like we are enjoying our time. If we fool the pastor, we must be fooling God too.

If Amos’ words are harsh, he means them to be. His hearers were confident in their place before God. We do our part and God will do his part. We give God his due and our businesses will grow and prosper. Our thoughts are not any different. If we put our time in at church on Sunday, we can live any way we want to for the rest of the week. God doesn’t belong out there.

But God says differently. He sends prophets and pastors to make it clear. You cannot serve God and money.

…this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me… (Isaiah 29:13, ESV)

Oh, come, let us sin to the Lord, is not something God will tolerate. Sin is serious business to Him. His beautiful creation is corrupted by it. His creature’s lives are set to ruin by it. Greed provokes God’s righteous anger. Amos speaks God’s law very clearly. “I will not forget their sin, ever! I will not forget your sin, ever!”

Well we are in trouble if God won’t forget. We have a difficult time on our own forgetting sin and the sins of others against us. But we count on God’s forgiveness. We cling to Jeremiah’s words as he speaks for God.

For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34b, ESV)

But Amos goes on to describe the consequences of God not forgetting our sin.

“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day. (Amos 8:9-10, ESV)

So how do we reconcile what Amos says? We know our lack of faithfulness in worship; we see our sin and know we need God’s forgiveness. Amos writes about a darkened day, a day when there will be mourning for an only son. It reminds us of a dark day we call “good”; Good Friday. That is a day when God does exactly has, He says, He doesn’t forget our sin. In fact, He remembers them in full, by placing them on His only Son. Jesus, on the cross, is the focus of God’s wrath and anger. God is true to His promise of not forgetting sin. All human sin is heaped on Jesus; everyone remembered; every lackluster worship service; every selfish thought; every time we watch the clock; every time our mind is somewhere else; every time we set out for our own gain at the expense of others. Jesus is nailed to the cross to carry them all, to suffer God’s punishment. Jesus dies with our sin, so we are dead to it, too. Jesus takes the curse of God remembering sin, so that we can receive God’s forgiveness. Oh, come, let us sin unto the Lord… let us place our sin on Him and receive from God the forgiveness He gives though faith in Jesus.

So, does that make a difference in our worship today and in the future? Shall we continue, Oh, come, let us sin unto the Lord? Saint Paul asked the question like this:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? (Romans 6:1, ESV)

He answers the question, too:

By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-4, ESV)

God remembers his promises. He places our sin and punishment on Jesus and gives us Jesus resurrection to new life. We walk in newness of life! We live and act and worship differently. What God has done for us in Jesus turns that turns our sin into sing. Oh, come let us sing unto the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the God of our salvation. He turns our sin into song. We rejoice. We celebrate. We sing about what God has done for us. From the hymn: Jesus Thy Blood and Righteousness.

Jesus, be endless praise to Thee,

Whose boundless mercy hath for me,

For me, and all Thy hands have made,

An everlasting ransom paid. (LSB 563:6)

And not only that but it changes everything else, too. Worship becomes the center point of our lives. We receive from God, His wonderful gift of forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, in Word and Sacrament, and it bleeds through us to the world out there. Our lives become ways of serving others because God serves us. Our lives don’t need to be about gaining things for ourselves with crooked scales and false measures; instead our work becomes a way of giving God’s gifts to people who need them.

Now it won’t be to long and we’ll be thinking about stewardship in our church. Yes, I’m talking about the budget. God would not have us use the budget for the motivation we would work with. God gives to us so that we can give to and help others. God’s blessings to us are for our blessing other people. One way we do that is through the work of the church. We can do so much more than we do through our own congregation. But we’ve got to start with Oh, come let us sing unto the Lord.

Oh, come, let us sin to the Lord? No! We are forgiven sinners. We do not live in sin anymore. God will not punish us for our sin because of Our Savior Jesus Christ. Instead, Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord. Amen.

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

Ezekiel 34:11-16; The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost; September 14, 2025;

Ezekiel 34:11-16; The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost; September 14, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” (Ezekiel 34:11–16, ESV)

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

It is pure gospel. Tucked between the law, proclaimed against the faithless shepherds and faithless sheep. God does what God does. He saves. Right after harsh judgment on faithless shepherds and wandering sheep, right there comes this Gospel. It is sheer grace. Behold I, I myself will do it. He doubles up on the subject. I…I will do it. It isn’t just a way to fill up the text, it is divine emphasis. It is a conventional oath. God is at center stage. In every verb, the subject is God himself. Ten times God’s I will echoes out from the text. He is the searcher. He is the shepherd. The sheep don’t act. It is God alone.

God says,

Behold! I, I myself will search; I will seek them out; I will rescue them; I will bring them out; I will gather them; I will feed them; The verbs, seek, rescue, bring out, gather and feed, are given in the imperfect tense. That means ongoing, continuous action by God. It doesn’t stop. It isn’t a one-time action. Whenever the sheep are lost, he finds them with his active pursuit. Whenever they are in danger, he rescues them. Whenever they are bound in chains, he brings them out. Whenever they are scattered, he gathers. Whenever they are hungry, he provides rich pasture. You are seeing the very heart of God, the searcher. Grace in action. He seeks me, his sheep, whenever I stray.

And God continues,

I myself will be the shepherd; I will seek the lost; I will bring back the strayed; I will bind up the injured; I will strengthen the weak. I will feed with justice. Again, we see God’s tender heart. Continually, God never abandons the lost; he heals wounds with forgiveness; he gives courage to face the harsh world; and he protects the vulnerable.

And yet, God says it’s true. But… the news. Instead of safety, you hear about a Christian man shot on campus, attacks on churches, workers dismissed for their confession of Christ. It is a steady drumbeat of opposition. Satan himself, and the broken world, want the sheep to think they are alone, lost, abandoned, scattered, harassed and helpless. God speaks louder than the news. I, I myself will search, I, I myself will bind. I, I myself will save.

The natural question is: When? Where? How does God do all this. It seems the world is winning. Ezekiel gives the verbs. The Gospels show the face of God, in Jesus. I, I myself will search. I, I myself will shepherd. The invisible God has become visible in Jesus. He comes into the world, not as a king, but with nail scared hands.

The presence of evil remains. The wolves prowl around the flock, licking their chops. Persecution, hatred, bloodshed. If the shepherd has come, why is this still true? Ezekiel spoke it clearly. Jesus warned of it. “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” But the power of evil is broken. Evil is met at the cross. The jaws of death are crushed. He still growls. He still bites. But he is done in. His real power is destroyed. He only lashes out in desperation. His end is sure. And he knows it. The shepherds word still stands: “I Myself will seek, I Myself will bind, I Myself will save.” In His presence—right in the middle of evil—we are not abandoned, not alone, not helpless. We are His, and nothing will snatch us from His hand.

He [Christ] is the image (eikōn) of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15

Every question asked is answered in the I, I myself will…

I (I, I myself) am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11

Every question you ask is answered in Jesus. When does God search?

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4–5, ESV)

Where does God bind up the broken? The cross. The shepherd takes the wounds of the sheep on himself, into his own flesh.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

The healing isn’t abstract, either. He is wounded for us. Jesus, the I, I myself, is bruised, beaten, and torn. Our injuries are laid on him. His wounds become our medicine. The news tells us of violence that wounds and scatters, but the Gospel proclaims the violence Christ bore that heals and gathers. His stripes are your healing. His death is your life. His blood is the Shepherd’s binding for the broken.

How does God save? In Jesus. The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

The I, I myself of Ezekiel takes on human flesh. Jesus Christ comes into the world to seek and save the lost. The verbs of Ezekeil take on human flesh. Jesus became the very words of God. He searches, rescues, binds and strengthens. He searches out Zacchaus, he rescues the demon-possessed, he binds the wounds of the broken. He strengthens the weak in faith. In the end he lays down his very life, so that the lost, broken, and condemned, are secure forever.

For you, He has done it—for you, the lost and condemned creature. The Shepherd became the Lamb. He was pierced for you. He bore the stripes that heal, for you. He laid down His life and rose again, for you. Jesus is the “I Myself” of Ezekiel in human flesh. Every verb—search, rescue, gather, feed, bind, strengthen—lives and breathes in Him. The news may roar with violence, hatred, and death for those who bear His name, but Christ has already crushed the wolf’s jaws. He is stronger than death, He has defeated Satan, He has won the victory—and that victory is already yours. Behold, I Myself will search. I Myself will bind. I Myself will save. That is our Savior. That is Jesus. He has done it, and He will do it forever. Amen.

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