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.

September 7, 2025; Philemon 10-21; 13th Sunday after Pentecost;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

1Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker. 10I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11(Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will. 15For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. Philemon 1,10-21 (ESV)

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

(Thanks again to Edit-O-Earl!)

“Other’s can err but we don’t allow ourselves the same privilege.” That’s a phrase from a sermon by a Rabbi named Daniel Roberts. It’s not really all that profound, but it is very true, especially for all you perfectionists out there. You will really understand what the Rabbi is saying. Even those who are not perfectionists know a lot about making mistakes, because our lives are full of them. A famous Bishop once said, “I saw a man this week that hasn’t made a mistake in 4000 years.” He was talking about a 4000 year old mummy. It’s only dead people who don’t make mistakes. In fact, one definition of death is: “To stop sinning, suddenly.” We are not so lucky; we make mistakes all the time. And we hate it when it happens. It’s bad enough to make a mistake but worse when we make a public one that everyone knows about. When we make them, we are usually pretty hard on ourselves doing it.

I’ve made my share of mistakes. I remember when I was little. I wanted to make a good impression on the kids at my new school. We were playing softball, and I was third base. I missed an easy grounder right to me; you know the kind practically hit my glove and slipped right between the legs. I hung my head in disgust, forgetting that there was a runner advancing round the bases. He made it all the way home while I moped trying to show deep remorse. I doubled up on my mistake, because I was trying to show how upset I was at missing the ball.

Do you remember that show the The Apprentice. One of the guys there made a big mistake. (Actually, I think Donald Trump seized on it more for ratings than anything else!) He was offered immunity from being eliminated. But thinking he had done a great job and was safe from getting fired by Trump he turned it down. Donald Trump was flabbergast and fired him. As the young man was leaving the room he said, “I’ll not make that mistake again.” Because of a silly mistake he’s now out of the running for the coveted job.

We don’t often make life-changing mistakes. Most of the time they are of no real consequence to us, we hear ourselves saying that tell-tale word “oops.” But occasionally we make a whopper, a mistake that we can’t correct, one that really makes a difference in our lives. You know the kind: The big ones that are life changing, we may say “oops” when they happen, but the word doesn’t really cover the serious nature of them.

That’s what happened to a man named Onesimus. He made a mistake, his big mistake. His mistake is the reason why Paul wrote the letter to Philemon that is our text today. In a way, Onesimus is like the “Prodigal Son.” It seems (in as much as we can guess) that he was a slave who ran away from his master, Philemon, and may have even stolen something in the process. The punishment for what he had done was death. For slaves in the Roman Empire crucifixion was the most common way to carry out a death sentence. We don’t know why Onesimus ran; he may have wanted to see the world, or he may just have wanted to get away, but he ended up in Rome. When he discovered that a life of running away wasn’t all it was cracked up to be; it is thought that he went looking for Paul, who was in prison courtesy of the Roman government. Under house arrest. Paul was Philemon’s good friend. He had founded the church at Colossae. Where Philemon lived. Onesimus must have known Paul was in Rome, so he went to see if he could help him.

Paul does help, what he does is nothing less than Christ-like. He sends Onesimus back with a letter to Philemon asking that he (Paul) be charged for anything that is owed. Implying that Onesimus should be forgiven for running and even sent back to Paul to continue working with him. Martin Luther said that we are all like Onesimus, runaway slave. Jesus saves us from the punishment we so rightly deserve. “Receive him as you would receive me,” Paul wrote to the Onesimus’ master. Sounds a lot like Jesus words, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40 (ESV)

There are two ways that people usually handle their mistakes, both the big ones and the small ones. There is the guilt route. You know that our society doesn’t really tolerate mistakes. Mistakes are seen as weak and foolish things we do that cost us. Mistakes are illogical and stupid. Just look at the ex-apprentice. Donald Trump must have called him stupid a dozen times. Oh sure, he learned from the mistake, but I wonder how long it will be before he’s hired, how long it’s going to be till he’s not known as the guy who made the “big stupid mistake” on television. When that’s the way we see life, when that’s the pressure that’s put on us, it’s no wonder that our teenagers suffer from a very high suicide rate. Our reaction when we make those dreaded mistakes is to go into automatic depression, like me when I hung my head after missing the ball. We are pushed toward self-revaluation. They cause us to re-consider our self worth. Others can err, but we don’t allow ourselves the same privilege. We hold ourselves accountable our whole life… and even beyond. And even when things seem to be going really well, we dredge up our past errors, to temper our luck. We carry our mistakes as a burden, slung over our shoulders like a big sack. That’s the guilt trip we lay on ourselves with our mistakes. And, at one time or another we’ve all been there.

And yet there’s another way to take that sentence. Others can err, but we don’t allow ourselves the same privilege. Mostly, when we run up against a mistake, we push it off on someone else. Call it the blame game. The more serious the error the more fingers we try to point away from ourselves. “If all else fails, blame someone else!” That kind of blame game has been going on since the very beginning. When God walked into the garden after Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, he asked Adam, “What did you do?” “Hey,” the man answered, “the woman gave me the fruit. It’s her fault. And you know that it never would have happened if you hadn’t put her here.” And God asked her, “What have you got to say, Eve?” “It was the snake, he fooled me.” She answered. Adam tried to reflect the blame to Eve and God. Eve blamed the snake. God laid the blame squarely where it belonged, on both of them.

The reason we fret over our mistakes or try to give them to someone else is because we know what they really mean. Often, we say, “Nobody’s perfect.” And that’s true. We are not perfect. Adam and Eve were, at first. They made more than a big mistake. It was a life-or-death issue. They willfully disobeyed God. They purposely defied his place in their lives. They followed their own desires and did the only thing God told them not to do. They condemned the whole human race to the same mistake, the same rebellion, and the same punishment. We talked about Onesimus running away from his master. And the penalty was death. Being a slave, he may have had reason to run away. We don’t have good reason to reject God. And yet we do. Every day we try to make it on our own and ignore him. If Onesimus had been caught he would have died on a cross. The punishment we deserve is no less than that. That’s what our mistakes continually remind us of. It’s not that God punishes us for our little flubs. We make mistakes because we aren’t the people that he created us to be. We don’t live up to the perfection that God has every right to expect from us. The punishment we should get is death.

In his letter to Philemon, Paul takes up Onesimus’ cause. Onesimus had made a mistake, a dangerous one. Paul could have appealed to Philemon on his authority as an apostle, in fact, as Philemon’s Pastor. But instead, he chooses to present his case through love. He never tells Philemon what he should do. He just reminds Philemon of the special relationship they have. “Don’t forget that you really owe me your very self.” As if to say, “Jesus came into your life through me.” Paul doesn’t say, “Forgive Onesimus, free him, and send him back to me.” Instead, he says, “I want you to do what you believe is right, based on your relationship with me, and mostly on your relationship with Jesus.” What kind of a relationships were those? Here are a few things Paul had said before that he may have wanted Philemon to think about:

"God demonstrates His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

“Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners--of whom I (Paul) am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life."

That was the background of their relationship to each other, and their relationship with Jesus. Of course, we should remember that Onesimus’ mistake wasn’t just a little one, like a secretary’s typo. It was a serious problem. It was potentially fatal. It wouldn’t be an easy thing to set aside. Philemon is asked to ignore the fact that he has a houseful of potential runaway slaves. Forgiving and forgetting is a dangerous precedent to set. But, of course, forgiveness is never easy.

Paul didn’t expect Philemon to forgive Onesimus’ mistake because he felt like forgiving him. He expected him to do it because God had already taken care of it; and not only that but because God had taken care of Philemon’s mistakes, too. He assumes that he will forgive, because he too, had been forgiven. He assumes that because God has been gracious with him, he will be gracious with his slave. Paul told Philemon to charge him for whatever Onesimus owed, and he would pay it. It was a reminder to Philemon that Jesus had already done that very thing for him.

We deal with our mistakes in different ways, but God deals with them in only one way. He dealt with our mistakes, our sin, in the death of Jesus. The cross that Onesimus deserved for running away was the cross that Jesus took. The death that we deserve for our rebellion is the death that Jesus took. Jesus died to forgive the sins of Onesimus and Philemon and Paul, of you and me, and to take care of the mistakes that we all make. We don’t have to carry them around anymore. They don’t have to trouble us to our graves. We don’t have to blame other people either. We can take the blame ourselves and remember that Jesus went to the cross and died for those mistakes too. We’ve been forgiven much. We can take those things that trouble us and give them to Jesus.

And even more importantly, when someone makes a mistake that hurts us, that costs us. We remember that we have been forgiven much. You know the largest room in the world is room for improvement. Forgive as you have been forgiven. Amen.

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

Isaiah 66:10-14; The Third Sunday after Pentecost; August 24, 2025

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.” For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the LORD shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.” (Isaiah 66:10–14, ESV)

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

It began as barley a whisper… a faint sound at the very edge of perception… no one in the house even stirred… except mother. From the very first, before any sound at all had filled the ears of anyone else… she awoke crawled out of bed and began the trek to her infant’s room. So, by the time he was in full cry, with a voice much more than someone his size should be able to shout, mother was already crib side. Quickly she raised the infant to her arms, “Hey Billy, what’s the matter?” She said quietly, as she gathered him to herself. At first, he was inconsolable, and his screams echoed through the whole house. They filled the ears of his brothers and sisters, who muffled the sound with arms, blankets or pillows in an attempt to return to their dreams. But soon quiet was again restored as the rocking chair and the sweet sound of mother voice brought infant comfort. He was safe and warm, there in his mother’s arms, satisfied and at peace.

Oh, to be at peace… like a little child in its mother’s arms, satisfied at rest, warm and content…. at peace. But as much as peace is desired it, peace is seldom found. Maybe that’s why this image of peace is so powerful for us, because we seldom know this kind of peace when we are no longer able to lie in our mother’s arms… when we have grown too large to be cuddled there. There are other moments of peace in our lives, standing on a quiet beach listening to the waves rush the shore; Being alone in the forest when all is quiet except the sounds of nature; Sitting beside the bed of a sleeping child listening contentedly to the shallow echoes of breath. But, moments of peace are few, because the world, this world that we live in, is a world of conflict.

A world of conflict… every day in the newspaper you can read about war somewhere around the globe. War is the same everywhere. There are two groups of people in conflict. They have determined that their conflict is so great that the only means of resolution is the violent death of the other party. They have determined that the only resolution is to disrupt the peace… to arm themselves with the tools of death. Many people would say that the exact opposite of peace is war. When the images of war explode onto the news, the comfort of our mother’s arms is very inviting.

But conflict isn’t just found between nations at war. We find it even in the smallest communities. In fact, any gathering of people is often marked by disagreement that often disrupts the peace. Do we build a swimming pool or not? Should the cult group be allowed to build a compound? Should there be a group home in my neighborhood? Should taxes be raised or cut… but it isn’t just government? There is conflict where we work… a co-worker we don’t like… a manager that won’t allow time off, or demands overtime… Work that builds up so much you are afraid to take time off… Conflict also lives in our homes… family decisions are marred by arguments and unhappy resolutions. What household has children that don’t fight, and parents who are always forgiving? What man and wife have never fought about family finances? Conflict is laced in every aspect of our lives… our families, friendships, and even our Church. Disharmony is everywhere it affects every relationship we have. But not all the conflict is external. Many people have an internal struggle that far outweighs the discord between people. Internal struggle can fracture the human psyche. The wounds it can cause are even more devastating than disagreements between people. We all experience some of that disunity. We all struggle to do what we know is right and avoid what we know is wrong. Saint Paul described the struggle so well For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:14–19, ESV)

When we think of these conflicts it is no wonder, we long for the comfort of our mother’s arms. That place where we can be comforted, safe from conflict, safe from trouble, and at peace.

All the disunity between nations, people, families, individuals, and even the internal struggles of people are really a sign, a window to an even greater more devastating division. Conflict, internal and external, is an image of the most serious human problem. All human beings have cut themselves off from God by their own sin. We are fractured people who are determined to conflict with the very one who made us, the one who designed us for a relationship with him. We have conflict with others, we can’t get along with other people; we conflict with ourselves; because we can’t get along with God. That is the real source of conflict in our lives.

This is where this image, given to us in our text, comes in. God says he will comfort us, brings us peace, like a mother does with her child. “I will extend peace like a river… as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” He extends his arms around us, pulls us to his breast where we are warm, safe and secure. There we find peace. There we find comfort. He ended the conflict with us, because we didn’t want to end it with him. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV)

It is amazing and somewhat ironic that the one who God sent to restore peace to the world, the prince of peace, restored our fractured relationship, our conflict, by means of a violent death. He endured internal and external conflict on the cross as he was rejected by the Father in our place. The separation that our sinful nature desired; the conflict we wished; for was focused on Jesus Christ. He endured it all instead of us. And because of that he brought about peace between us and our Heavenly Father. But this peace is more than just a peaceful, tranquil feeling. It’s more than a feeling of contentment that even unbelievers can feel. Jesus brings a peace the is a peace that exists even when we are in conflict. It’s a peace that exists even when we don’t feel peaceful.

The peace that Christ brings is like the peace between two warring parties. He declares the hostilities cease. But when peace is declared sometimes the sides don’t want to end the fighting. Because we still have the effects of sin in our lives, we don’t always want God’s peace. We struggle against it. But the war is over, Jesus Christ has won it and he has declared the peace. It is a peace that passes all our understanding. When we feel it, when we experience that peaceful feeling like we are wrapped in the Father’s arms we rejoice; but it is just as true when we don’t feel it. We are still even then, because of Christ, at peace with God.

God doesn’t promise that Christians won’t have conflict in their lives. Christians just like all people will have internal and external struggles. But God, through Jesus Christ, has done something about the most serious conflict. Because of Jesus suffering and death on the cross we are no longer in conflict with God. Because suffered the separation of that conflict we can enjoy the comfort the peace. That peace, whether we feel it or not, affects our whole lives. Our relationships to our families… our relationships to our friends… our relationships at work... Our relationships to our community. That peace earned for us through the death of Christ, has given us peace with God and has opened the way for us to be at peace with others.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15, ESV)

Billy sleeps quietly in his mother’s arms. He is at peace, comforted by his mother. The noise of discord is all but forgotten. She had come and brought him comfort. He is safe and warm; he is at peace.

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

Jeremiah 23:29; The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost; August 17, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29, ESV)

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

When I was young, I saw a movie with Paul Neuman. Cool Hand Luke. It was a good movie, if not a bit controversial. Luke is shown working on a road chain gang breaking rocks under the hot sun. The trope is similar in many movies. The convict is given a hammer and told to break rocks. The task is daunting. Strike after strike the stone is pummeled, with no visible result. Suddenly after fifteen or so the rock shatters. But it wasn’t the last one that did the trick. Every strike weakened the structure of the stone until it bursts into pieces. Jeremiah says that’s how God’s Word works. It isn’t always a sudden strike of lighting that converts a person, but the effect over time. But it does work. That’s God’s promise.

In Jeremiah’s time, around the 6th and 7th Century BC, false prophets were proclaiming that everything would be just fine. Even though Israel was continually threatened by Babylon. From verse 17:

They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you.’ (Jeremiah 23:17, ESV)

The prophets proclaimed security, prosperity, and God’s blessing. Even for those who had rejected God.

But, through Jeremiah, God made it clear. The dreams and visions were false. They contradicted God’s clear true word of his prophet. They were counterfeit when they said, “you will have peace.” Jeremiah told them it was different, and he suffered for his proclamation.

We see it today in the church. False prophets preach that you can see God’s blessing by external standards. If you are blessed with money or fame, if you feel good with your life and success you are obviously pleasing God. It bleeds in from the culture. Impressive work, visible goodness all equals God’s favor.

In fact, you can’t impress God with good works. Despite what our modern false prophets say. Good works are a result of faith; faith doesn’t grow because you do them. You can’t tell how God feels about you by physical blessings. God uses them for the benefit of all people. The only way to please God it through faith in Jesus Christ.

And without faith it is impossible to please [God] (Hebrews 11:6a, ESV)

It is the sin of pride that tells us we can work our way into God’s good graces.

The Law is a hammer, Jeremiah says. It breaks apart the “rock” of pride in us. It destroys self-righteousness. It destroys the delusion of our false self-religion. We don’t like it. It destroys our delusions that good works do anything for our relationship to God.

There are two men. One man, an unbeliever, builds a hospital wing for children with cancer out of real compassion. Another man, a Christian, builds one to impress his wife. The world crowns the unbeliever the better man. But God looks for faith. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. With faith, even flawed works are covered in Christ’s righteousness. God sees it differently. In the final judgement the one without faith only receives God’s anger. “You have rejected my Son, get away from me.” And to the believer, “Your motives where sinful, but you are covered by the robe of righteousness won for you by my son. Enter the joy of your master. Well done, good and faithful servant.” Or simply from God’s own word,

And without faith it is impossible to please [God] (Hebrews 11:6a, ESV)

And in faith, it is impossible not to please God.

The two men above reminds us that what seems good to the world isn’t worth anything in pleasing God. It is only faith. As Swedish Lutheran bishop and author Bo Gierts put it, the human heart is a rusty tin can on a junk heap, we are rescued only by God’s mercy.

This reminds me of the words of Bo Giertz, a Swedish Lutheran bishop and pastor. In his novel The Hammer of God, he paints a picture of what our hearts really are… In the booka young pastor says, “I have given Jesus my heart.” The older pastor responds,

Do you consider that something to give Him? The heart is a rusty old can on a junk heap… But a wonderful Lord passes by, has mercy, sticks His cane through it, and takes it home with Him. That is how it is.

The hammer of God’s law crushes that illusion, that we have anything of worth to offer God. The reality is quite different. We are a rusty tin can, we are rescued completely by grace.

The Hammer of God hurts, and we don’t like it. It smashes our idols, our moral comparisons, and our “good works” that we try to use as a bargaining chip with God. It exposes the truth about sin. It is much worse than we think. It is totally corrupting. Charles Spurgen, the noted preacher put it this way.

If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him, for you are far worse than he thinks you to be. Charles Spurgen.

Enter Jesus. He picks up the rusty tin can with his can and takes it home. It is a recuse from a hopeless situation. He forgives through his life, death on the cross, and his resurrection. You can do nothing to save yourself, any more than the tin can can remove itself from the junk heap. Forgiveness is the key. It is why he came. It is why he taught. It is why he allowed himself to be crucified. He takes our sin, all of it, and that punishment we deserve for our sin, on himself. His death is the only way it could be done. Any other way denies the total corruption of sin. Any other way denies our hopelessness, without Jesus.

The hammer of God, his law, hurts, but don’t be afraid of it. Cherish it. When his law confronts your sin, it is God’s mercy at work. It shows us our sin. It is necessary to see how helpless we are so that we depend more on the work of Jesus. That’s what faith is, depending totally on Jesus for our salvation. In faith, then, we can live in thankful freedom. Knowing that our sin won’t keep us from God. Good works follow faith. They serve our neighbors in need. And God is pleased when they do just that. The law keeps us from holding up our sin filled works as a way to please him.

God’s Word is a hammer, a necessary one. Our hearts are stone that must be broken. There is nothing good in them, and we need that delusion shattered. But once the stone is broken, Christ steps in with His cross. He lifts the rusty tin can of our lives from the garbage heap, not because of what we bring, but because of His mercy. On the cross He bore every sin—yours, mine, the whole world’s—and in His resurrection He secured the victory no one can take away. Faith in Jesus isn’t about what you do for Him; it is about what He has already done for you. On the cross it is finished, and in Him your salvation is certain. Amen.

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

Hebrews 1:1-2; The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; August 10, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Heb 11.1-2, ESV)

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

There once were two scientists who took a trip up a mountain. When they were there they discovered a baby eagle who had either lost its parents or been abandoned by them. They wanted to help the chick, but the only problem was that the eagle was on a ledge below the top of a very dangerous cliff. They asked the son of their guide if they could let him down by their rope to save it, he refused even when they offered him a large sum and quickly doubled the reward. But it was useless to argue he just wouldn’t do it. “Well, what do you propose we do to save the chick?” one of the men finally asked. “I’d be glad to rescue the bird for nothing if you let my dad hold the rope.” He said. Now no one would say that the boy lacked faith. The truth was he had great faith in his father, but he had no reason to trust the scientist. They had not built a basis for faith in the short time he had known them.

Our texts today are all about faith. And the common thread that seems to run through them is Abraham. Whenever the topic of faith comes up Abraham’s name is sure to be mentioned. But when we look at the Old Testament lesson closely we see that even this man of great faith had his doubts. That’s one of the great things about the bible. Even the heroes are real people like you and me. We can realize that if great men of faith had doubts, it should be well understood that we will have doubts too. Really what kind of faith did Abraham have? What was it about his faith that was so strong? I think we see it most clearly in an event that happened just after our OT Text and is talked about a few verses after the end of the Epistle lesson.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

The story it self is given to us in Genesis 22.

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”(Genesis 22:1-18, ESV)

Here is Abraham, the traveling man. He has no real place to call his own. He has no real place that he calls home. He has no connection to his past, his ancestors. God has already effectively taken that away. "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.” (Gen 12:1 NIV) that’s what God said to him and Abraham obeyed. God promised him he would be the father of a great nation, as many as the stars in the sky. But the stars didn’t even begin to come until Abraham was over 100 years old. And all along the way God had to continually remind him that his promises were still true. Abraham waited patiently. Finally, Isaac was born. His name means “laughter” maybe that has something to do with a new born baby in the care of an old man and old woman.

Now though, just after God seems to be making good on his promise He says to Abraham, “take this son… this only son, this one you’ve waited for so long, and go far away, a three-day walk, about forty miles. Kill him and offer him as a burnt offering. As you can imagine this is a real dilemma for Abraham. All of God’s promises are wrapped up in Isaac. God promised that his family would be as many as the stars in the sky. He promised that Isaac was the beginning of that promise. But the promise can only be true if Isaac is actually alive to have children. It would seem that God intends to bring Abraham to nothing at all. He will be a hopeless man with no past and no future. Still, in spite of what it seems, faithful Abraham takes no time to decide; in fact, his actions seem very deliberate. The account written for us here in the bible is very detailed. The scene is set in at daybreak. The donkey is saddled, the servants are gathered, wood for the sacrifice is cut, the ‘sacrifice’ is retrieved from bed, and off they go together on their three-day trek.

Finally, the destination is in view, the mountain of the sacrifice, the place where God has directed them. Here is where we see Abraham’s faith. He says something amazing to the servants. “You servants stay here,” he begins, “we will go to worship, and we will return to you.” In this statement we see what Abraham is thinking. He sees God’s test, he understands what God is saying, he believes in God’s promises. God promised that his descendents would come through Isaac he believed that that is how it will happen. No matter what happened on that mountain, Isaac would be returning with him. Here is the point that we really see what this test is all about, here already see the test and we see that Abraham has passed it. We see that Abraham has faith in God because God has already shown himself to be faithful. Abraham’s faith allows him to risk everything. That is what’s at stake here for him. Isaac’s life is the key to the promises God has made to Abraham. What God is asking through this test is this “do you believe in the promises or not.” Abraham believes… he has pushed aside hopelessness. The test is really already over. God could have sent them home, but something more needed to be done. God is about to show just how faithful he can be. Abraham goes through the motions. Isaac carries the wood; he carries the fire and the knife. He builds the altar; one eye on heaven, waiting for the sign to stop. He carefully arranges the wood, waiting for God to call it off. He turns to Isaac, binds him… places him on the alter… he takes the knife… raises it in the air… his muscles tense… pausing one more moment… then… at that frozen moment…

“Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I stand.” He says. “I am right here, exactly where You’ve asked me to be, standing in faith knowing that it is not hopeless, knowing that you have not forgotten me, knowing that even if this knife takes my his son’s life Your promises are still true.“

“Do not harm the boy.” The angel replies. “The test is over.”

Here at the point of death, at the very knife-edge of the sacrifice, Abraham’s faith stands firmly in God’s faithfulness. Here Abraham stands firmly on the promises of God. That is what it means to have faith, to trust in God’s promises no matter how hopeless it seems. Abraham knew God would save Isaac; when he looked around he found that God had provided a replacement. Isaac’s replacement was more than just the ram caught in the brush. It was the seal in blood of the promises of God. It was the sure sign of God’s faithfulness.

I know what you are thinking… I know what you are saying to yourself… I just don’t have the kind of faith that can stand up in those situations. I just don’t have the faith moves mountains; the faith that survives the testing of God; Others have it, but not me… I don’t have what it takes to act in faith like Abraham did. I have character flaws. I have issues; a past that I can’t forget. I have sins that just won’t leave me.

Dear Christians, I’m here today to tell you that you do have that kind of faith. You have the same faith as Abraham had. Who was Abraham before God called him? He was no one special, he was an ordinary man who had his own share of doubts. When God called him he simply did what God asked. Not because Abraham was someone special, but because God is faithful. His faith grew because God tested him. He is an example to us not because of who he was or what he did, but because of what God did in him and who God is. Abraham had faith because God was faithful.

Whenever we worship we declare our faith in the one who is faithful. We take the time to recite the creed where we say, “I believe in God the Father Almighty… I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son… I believe in the Holy Spirit…” We confess the faith of our fathers; we confess the faith of Abraham. Just like Isaac’s replacement ram was God seal of his promises to Abraham. We have the blood of Jesus, which is the seal of God’s promise in his own blood. It is the seal of sins forgiven. Our Lord carried our sins to the top of a mountain, the knife of death was raised over him, but no angel came to stop it. He died and took the punishment for our sins as our replacement. He is faithful to do just as he promised. Here we are standing firmly in that promise. Just like Abraham our faith is tested. Our lives are filled with knife-edge events. Death creeps in unexpectedly and we are left lonely, afraid and hurting. The loss of a job brings a loss of independence, and doubt. The old way of doing things just doesn’t seem to work anymore and we can’t seem to get a hold on the new way. At work, at home, in the shop, the hospital and the funeral home, right where we are brought face to face with hopelessness, God asks “Do you believe in My promises, or not?”

It is at those knife-edge where we stand with no hope of our own that faith grows the most. Where human effort and reason fails… where there is no holding on to the past and nothing to look for in the future… where there is nowhere else to stand, we stand in faith, depending on the one who is faithful. Just like Abraham we say, “Here I stand, right where you want me to be. Trusting in your promises.” Faith like that doesn’t come to us because of who we are or what we have done; just like Abraham, it comes to us because of what God has done and who he is. We have faith in Him because He is faithful.

When the testing is over, on the drive home from the funeral, walking away from the hospital bed, remembering the words of comfort and healing, when there is no threatening knife, we realize that our faith has grown. We see that we have come even closer to God than we thought possible. He has shown himself to be faithful once again, and more than ever before we believe in his promises.

Amen. The Peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Colossians 3:1-11; The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost; August 3, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians 3:1–11, ESV)

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

I blame the refrigerator. I put stuff in, and it goes bad. It’s supposed to keep it for later, but later never seems to come. When I finally get around to wanting it, it’s bad. The drawer in there that’s called the vegetable crisper, is really a vegetable rotter. The mold in some of the containers has become self-aware. I moved a container of milk to get a Dr. Pepper, and it said “Excuuuse me!” I’ve taken to asking some of the containers questions, like I ask Alexa. In some cases, they know more. Last night, I was awakened from sleep by a racket in the fridge, like the mold and rotten milk heard it was Fisherman’s Picnic and were partying like tourists.

If you want a clean refrigerator, you must clean it out. You must get rid of the old stuff, either by keeping up with eating leftovers, or you’ve got to throw it out, you’ve got to put the rotten stuff “to death”.

It is true in your Christian life. That’s what Paul is talking about here. He is talking about living a baptismal life.

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (v3)

He’s building on what he said in Chapter 2.

…having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him… (Col 2:12-13, ESV)

And in Romans,

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (Romans 6:3, ESV)

Being baptized into Christ, means that that Old Adam, your sinful nature, has been killed, drowned to death. You have been crucified with Christ.

He gives an example in himself,

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

If Paul is correct (and he is!), he is telling us what it means to live a baptismal life, a Christian life. “Put on the new self!”, Live life as a Baptized child of God. Being a Christian means that Christ on the cross is the power and pattern for transformation from the old self, to the new one.

It’s a bit like cleaning out my fridge. It’s not hard to tell what needs to go. God’s law, his Word, identifies what is sinful. You’ve heard that before. The law shows us our sin, like looking in a mirror, when you look into it you see your zits, blemishes and bad hair. When you open a container in the fridge, if a bad smell fills the kitchen, you know it’s bad.

Paul makes a list;

sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry

Christians recognize all these as works of Satan and his worldly forces. But the sins of the flesh are not always so big. From CS Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters.

“You will say that these are very small sins … But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from [the Enemy] God. … Murder is no better than cards … Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope…”

Paul is warning that unchecked sins, small and great, are a pathway away from the Christian life toward God’s just judgement. It is a fair warning, because we are all still living in our sin.

The cross shows us just how serious sin in our lives is. Our sinful nature can’t be defeated without a death. The Old Adam deserves death. He deserves hell. He deserves the wrath of God.

But there is more to the cross than only punishment. It is that surely. Christ is punished for the sins of our Old Adam. The cross is also our only means of salvation. On the cross Jesus takes our punishment. All of them, both small and great. Daily repentance is our means of returning to the cross. It is the reason why we begin most of our worship services with it. Listen to our confession again, listen for how broad it is, it covers sin that lives in our Old Adam, the Absolution points to the only means of his death.

Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Pastor: Almighty God, in His mercy, has given His Son to die for you and, for His sake, forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

It harkens back to your Baptism. We plead to God for forgiveness, because we have been baptized. And he answers, “you are forgiven.” It is exactly what Paul means when he says,

Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (v. 11).

The death of the self, the Old Adam, is spiritually real. It is based on God’s promises that are given to you in Holy Baptism.

Paul uses very specific language in our text. “put to death” νεκρώσατε (nekrōsate). It means to kill it dead, completely. He is talking about an active murder. He doesn’t say, manage it, or compromise with it. We see this in Christians who protect their pet sin by saying things like, “I know it’s wrong, but I also know God wants me to be happy.” The truth is you can’t do the killing. It isn’t something human beings can’t accomplish. It is accomplished by God through Holy Baptism and daily repentance. It happens daily through the work of the Holy Spirit’s work in the Word of God. From Romans 8(:13).

…if by the Spirit you put to death (θανατοῦτε) the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:13, ESV)

And in Galatians

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24, ESV)

The putting to death, the murder of the Old Adam happens at the cross and is propelled to Christians through our connection to Christ in Holy Baptism. And activated by daily repentance.

When Paul says, “put on” ἐνδύσασθε (endýsasthe) he is showing us the way. A literal definition is “sink into the garment”. You could say “sink into the water of Holy Baptism and the garment given”. He is suggesting a change of clothes. You have already been given the garment in your conversion to Christ, put it on every day!

Luther often describes the Christian life as wearing a Christ-like garment, a robe of righteousness. That is Jesus’ righteousness. And just like you put on clean cloths every day (or you should anyway), you do put on Christs’ robe of righteousness by returning to your Baptism every day.

The bad stuff in my fridge is my fault. There is no way around it. If you want a clean refrigerator, you must get rid of what’s bad. You must make room for more stuff to save for later. That’s the Christian life also. It’s your fault that sin lives in you. You can’t move forward toward a better life with all that bad stuff there. But there is a difference. I can clean out my fridge, it just takes stopping the procrastination. But you can’t remove the sin in your life. The Old Adam will be with you until you die. He will always push you away from God. But there is something you can do. You are doing it right now, right here. Open your ears and hear God’s Word of law and gospel. Listen when the law convicts you. Repent when you recognize the sin described as yours. Return to your baptism daily. Plead to God for forgiveness, he is faithful he will forgive.

And don’t forget. There is more you can do. When God makes his altar call, “This is my body… This is my blood….” Come to his supper and receive forgiveness, life and salvation. There is no better way to be sure that Jesus Christ died for you than to receive him through the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

The Word, the Water and the Bread and Wine are the Holy Spirit at work. He is removing your sin. He is prompting you to be better in your life. He cleans out your rottenness, your spoiled food. He is at work every day calling you to live in your Baptism. He is showing you, prompting you to serve your neighbor. And when you fail, he is there, not to condemn but to forgive, encourage and live in your Baptismal, Christian life. Amen.

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

Luke 14:1-14; The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost; July 27, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” And they could not reply to these things. Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”” (Luke 14:1–14, ESV)

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

A few weeks ago, when the Epistle reading was from Hebrews, you know, the faith chapter. It begins with

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, ESV)

And then proceeds with the faith of the saints. Abel, Enoch, Noah, etc. I began to wonder what would the author have said about pride. So, I asked Chatgpt. Generate a “Hall of Faith” like Hebrews 11, that talks about pride instead. It wrote this:

Now pride is the assurance of self and the conviction of one’s own greatness.

By pride, Adam and Eve reached for the fruit, desiring to be like God, and they fell.

By pride, Cain offered a sacrifice from his hand without faith, and his anger consumed his brother.

By pride, the builders of Babel said, “Let us make a name for ourselves,” and the Lord scattered them.

By pride, Pharaoh hardened his heart against the Lord, though the plagues destroyed Egypt.

By pride, Saul grasped the throne, spared what God had cursed, and lost the kingdom.

By pride, Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Is not this great Babylon that I have built?” and he was driven to eat grass like an ox.

By pride, Haman built a gallows for Mordecai, but he himself was hanged upon it.

By pride, Herod arrayed himself in royal robes and received the praise of men as of a god, and he was struck down by the angel of the Lord.

By pride, the Pharisee prayed in the temple, boasting in himself, and he went home unjustified.

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Absalom, of Sennacherib, of Jezebel, of Judas—who through arrogance sought their own way, trusted in their own strength, boasted in their own wisdom, were brought low, shamed, scattered, struck, and undone.

Of them the Scripture testifies: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Pride. It is the original sin. Nothing is more destructive. Nothing is more of an offence to God. Biblically speaking, from the examples above we see that (biblically speaking) pride always ends in being humbled.

Adam and Eve fell to pride. Satan said to them “You will be like God.” That would be good, we deserve that. It ended in there being expelled from the Garden. Cain killed his brother, Abel, because God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but not Cain’s. “sin is crouching at your door.” (Gen 4:7b). God told him. Abel paid the price of Cain’s pride. I don’t deserve this. He was also exiled. Pharoah wouldn’t listen to Moses. He was too proud to accept the release of the Hebrews from Egypt. Plague after plague came upon Egypt, but Pharoah refused still, until God took his son. Kings, Prophets, Pharisees, and even the Apostles, all fell by pride. Scripture is a litany of people falling because of pride. The verdict is the same for all of them,

Pride goes before destruction (Prov. 16:18).

The Epistles give us more warnings about pride than anything else, except sexual sins. And it is apt. Pride is the basis for most of our issues with God. We compare ourselves to others. “At least I’m not like those people…” Sound familiar? “God, I thank you that I am not like other men…”. We think that we can try harder to increase our faith, as if discipline is the answer to sinning less. The Word tells us it grows by God’s grace through Word and sacrament. Pride hides in piety. Prayer falters, because we get comfortable. It only comes out in times of trouble and when we find ourselves in real need. It is pride that tells us we can depend on ourselves. It is pride that tells us that the validity of worship depends on our how we feel about it. “I don’t like that hymn” or “That sermon didn’t do much for me.” Worship is about what God gives through grace. It is a place where sinners receive forgiveness. Pride tells us we must feel something, or it isn’t working. The law is for other people, and we deserve to be saved. Oh, and don’t think Pastors are immune. I read an article that talked about pastors boasting about all the good things happening in their congregations instead of the troubles and challenges they are having. Pride pushes accomplishments against God’s Work, over time, that isn’t always seen.

All this pride in our lives, as pointed out clearly in Scripture, shows us that it isn’t just a problem of the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable. It is the insidious sin that fills even our Christian lives. It hides in the good things like piety, service, care, and competence. The Law makes our pride clear and accuses us. We are prideful, sinful, people.

Let’s face it. When you hear Jesus’ parable of the banquet, you put yourself in it. You think, “Ah, that’s how I get the recognition I deserve. I’ll slink to the lowest spot at the table and then the host will see me and lift me up to the highest.” After all it is what Jesus said to do. Humble yourself to be exalted. It is the so that, that is the problem. You should humble yourself, because it is the right thing to do, not for the reward. It is just hidden pride. You can’t help it. Pride will always get the better of you. But hear God’s warning:

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. Luke 14:11

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant… 1 Cor 13:4

The false teacher “is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.” 1 Timothy 6:4

If anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:3

That’s the problem with the parables. We think they are about us (pride again), when they are really about Jesus. Jesus is the one who attends the banquet and puts himself in the lowest place. He humbles himself. He shows the greatest humility.

He was despised and rejected by men… one from whom men hide their faces. Isaiah 53:3

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8

And God, sees his sacrifice and says to him, “Friend, come up higher!”

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11, ESV)

Pride is insidious. You will struggle with it your whole life. It is the original sin. And what’s worse you can’t kill it. Only God can do that. Only death will finally kill the Old Adam who is prideful and wants nothing to do with humility.

But God doesn’t leave us in the terrible state. He offers forgiveness for your sinful pride. That’s where the word applies to you. Jesus reminds you that in Holy Baptism you are joined to his suffering and death. You are joined to his humiliation. You are raised up with him in his exaltation. You can’t even fathom what the resurrection will be like, when your sinful pride is finally defeated. It is so much a part of your everyday life that you can’t imagine life without it. When I got my first knee surgery, I couldn’t believe how much my knee had been hurting. I had become so used to the pain that when it was finally gone, I felt free. That’s what the resurrection will be like for you. You have become so used to your pride that when it is gone, you will feel utterly free.

The parable about the banquets tells us another thing. Jesus prepares a banquet. He doesn’t invite the proud, he invites those who have been humbled.

[Jesus] said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.

We can’t repay Jesus for what he has done for us on the cross. We can’t repay Jesus for what he will do for us in the resurrection. But you have an invitation to the feast. You certainly don’t deserve it. Jesus has overcome your pride, through his humility. He gives you forgiveness.

At his banquet, he looks down the table and he sees you. A poor, crippled, lame, blind, prideful sinful person. He has compassion on you and takes you by the hand. Through my cross and resurrection, I have saved you from your pride. I have saved you from your sin. Not because you have overcome it, but because I have. Come Beloved Friend, move up higher.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:38-30, ESV)

Amen.

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