Genesis 18:1-14; The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost; July 20, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”” (Genesis 18:1–14, ESV)

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

Sarah was skeptical. And who could blame her. She was 89 years old. “The way of woman had ceased to be with her”. So, technically, it was impossible for her to have children. She laughed at having a son. God would call the child “He laughs”, Isaac, pointing to her doubt. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God indeed does what is impossible, notwithstanding Sarah’s doubts.

When you consider the context of the text, you can see how all this was set up. Abraham looks up and “suddenly” three men were standing before him. Abraham knew it was a special appearing of God. All at once they were there. His reaction says so. Abraham bowed down to the ground in worship. He offers them what he has. His actions were urgent; quickly ran to the tent to ask Sarah to prepare bread. He ran to the herd to get a calf to slaughter.

The contrast is quite strong. Mary and Martha like. Martha was busy with much service. Martha is busy in the tent. Mary was sitting a Jesus’ feet. Abraham is clinging to faith while he listens to the Lord. What Abraham saw, was God’s appearing, God’s presence with them. Did Martha just see three visitors?

In a way, you can’t blame her. God appeared in a plain ordinary way. Three travelers. There was no lightning, no thunder, no kings, no temple. Only a tree, a tent, a meal and a kitchen. But God was there, and he was there to offer Sarah a promise.

Where is Sarah your wife? She is in the tent.

God continues:

“I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

Sarah was skeptical. She laughs at the promise. Maybe it was all too simple. Maybe unlike her husband, she didn’t see God in the three visitors. But she laughs at the thought of having a son. God is faithful, just like he was to Martha.

Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. Luke 10:42:

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

And God was faithful, even when Sarah doubted. He came with a word of promise, and Sarah hears it. She has a son of promise. Maybe she doubted from the outset of the promise 25 years earlier, or maybe her hope just faded. But until the baby was born, who could blame her.

So, here we sit, week after week, month after month, year after year. We come to hear God’s promises. We come to receive his forgiveness—won by Christ. It is delivered faithfully by God, even when we are faithless. We wait in weakness. We wait with doubts. There are distractions and even laughter at the idea that God could use our weak, little congregation to do anything. That he can bring life from bareness and joy from sorrow.

We sit here in our temporary space; the same space used for LGBT+ celebrations and speak our quiet words of God’s hope and promise. While our building project struggles at every step; red tape, shifting timelines, and unexpected delays. It’s enough to make us laugh like Sarah. It’s enough for us to ask the question Did God really want us to build?

We sit in doubt when our prayers go unanswered. Like Sarah, who must have thought that God had long forgotten about his promise of children like the stars of the sky. Family issues persist with no end in sight. A child that has gone astray. A brother or sister that refuses to be reconciled to us. Healing from a deep emotional wound. Prayers about our community, our country and the world seem to go unanswered. Natural disasters pile up, our prayer seems ineffective. Maybe he doesn’t hear my prayers. The doors seem closed. Has God forgotten about me?

But God is faithful. Not because we have a great vision. Not because we have made a great plan. Not because we are persistent in prayer, or not. Not because we are strong. But because he is faithful above all our doubts and all our sorrows and all our frustrations. The same Lord Jesus who comes to us faithfully every Sunday is the same Lord who sat beneath the oaks of Mamre. He comes to us in Word and Sacrament. He comes to us in preaching. He comes to us when, as he promised, we gather where two or three are gathered in his name. The same Lord who said, ‘I will return, and Sarah shall have a son,’ now says to us: ‘I am building My Church. I am with you always. Take and eat… given for you.’

Now, I want to speak very clearly here. Our church project doesn’t have a clear promise from God. In fact, after all that we do, it could still fail. Our church could fail. But even in the face of all that, God is still faithful. His promises are not tied our plans, our buildings or our budgets. God doesn’t promise we will always see the fruit of our prayers. The promises he makes to us are tied to Christ. He is not going anywhere. Even if we worship in a tent, even if we lose every earthly support, we still have everything—because we still have Him. Our hope is not in brick or wood, but in the cross and empty tomb. And that promise stands, even if everything else falls.

So, while the foundation still isn’t poured, we don’t look to our success. While we are frustrated with waiting on God to answer our prayers, we look to the cross. We come here because this is where we hear of God promises anew. The cross is where God’s promises are given and received in full. We look to what God does in his church, children are baptized, Christ’s body and blood are given, the Word is proclaimed in faithfulness. This is where we pray continually for the church, the world, our nation, and all people. And this is where we see it. This is why we gather, small as we are, week after week, month after month year after year. God’s promise is true. Is anything too hard for the Lord?

There are doubts. We are more like Sarah than we want to admit. But with those doubts we cling to the cross. Jesus tears down sin and death by sacrificing himself for us. He hung there—not in glory, but in weakness and shame and blood. He bears the curse of our failures. He bears our doubts. He bears our pride. He bears our sorrows. He bears our frustrations. He bears our fear. The cross is stronger than any human sin. The cross is stronger than any human frustration. The cross looks like failure, but it is where God is most at work. There he is as work for you and me. That is where we find our hope, no matter what happens. No matter how dark our lives get. No matter how frustrations cling to everything we do. Christ is still crucified for us. Christ is still risen for us. Christ is still here for us. Christ is still coming again to end all frustration, sin, fear, doubt and failure. And because of his promises, proven at the cross, it means we are still his beloved church. Amen.

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

Luke 10:25-37; The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost; July 13, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”” (Luke 10:25–37, ESV)

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

There was a Fad in the church a few years ago (well in the 90s anyway). It has its origin in the 19 century (1800s). A pastor, Rev. Charles Sheldon, a congregationalist minister, wrote a book. “In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?” In the book, the pastor says that anytime a Christian has a decision to make, he should ask the question: What Would Jesus Do? In the 90s, WWJD bracelets became popular among youth groups. The idea was to use Jesus as the best example of Christian living. If you do what Jesus would do, you’ll make the right decisions.

Jesus is certainly a great example to follow. From 1 Peter 2:21

Christ suffered for you, leaving you and example…

And 1 John 2:6

Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Our Gospel reading for today seems to bear this out. The Lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus explains with the parable. A guy, a Jew presumably, is traveling and falls among thieves. He is left for dead beside the road. Two people pass by failing to help, the last helps. Be like this guy. Your neighbor is the guy God puts before that needs help to help.

But there is much more going on here than the simple reading. First of all, notice that the one asking the question is a lawyer. The two who pass by, the priest and the Levite (a pastor and a lawyer), are the ones the listeners would expect to help. The crowd would have been shocked. Pastors and Lawyers were highly respected for their knowledge of scripture. They were highly respected for their moral convictions. What’s up with that? They probably asked.

Jesus continues. “Then came a Samaritan. He has compassion on the man. He helps him.” This is another shock, bigger than the first. The Jews would have expected the story to go, “The Samaritan saw him on the side of the road and kicked him for spite. Such was the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans. And the Samaritan wasn’t just helpful; he spent a fortune to see to the Jew was restored. You can tell the lawyer doesn’t like the conclusion. When Jesus asks,

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?

He replies,

The one who showed him mercy.

He can’t even bear to say he was a Samaritan.

You go, and do likewise. Jesus says.

Implying that he should do the same for Samaritans. Jesus turns everything around on his listeners. He does what no one expects. Of course, the parable is about Jesus. He puts himself in place of the Samaritan, he saves us at great cost, giving his very life for our forgiveness. He beams forth as the ultimate example to follow.

But there is something more here: You are not the Samaritan in the story, you are the man at the side of the road. You can’t help yourself, you have been robbed, beaten by sin, and left for dead. The priest and the lawyer pass you by. They can’t save you, they won’t save you. Jesus, is the true and better Samaritan. He is despised by the world, but full of unexpected mercy. He binds your wounds. He pays the price for your sin. He heals with his own blood. He brings you into the church. The parable isn’t a call to try harder. It is about Christ who rescues you when you could do nothing.

There is an issue with WWJD. And it’s partially set out in this parable. The Samaritan, Jesus, does what no one would expect. All throughout his ministry he confused people by doing what no one expected. He spoke to a Samaritan woman, he touched lepers, he doesn’t condemn a woman caught in adultery and allows a sinful woman to anoint his feet. All of it is shocking. All of it is unexpected. And don’t forget, before you ask, ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ — remember that flipping tables and driving out corrupt religious leaders with a whip is on the list.

The fact is, what would Jesus do? Is often answered in the bible, he’d do only what he can do.

WWJD is law centered. It says we must act like Jesus. The burden is on the believer, not on the Holy Spirit’s work in them. Luther says,

The law says, ‘Do this,’ and it is never done. Grace says, ‘Believe in this,’ and everything is already done. Martin Luther, Heidelberg Disputation (1518)

And what has been done? Jesus, the law keeper, has kept the Law perfectly for you. He isn’t only our example, he is your substitute. On the cross, he hung with the guilt of you passing by people who needed help. Every time you fail to love. Every time you live for yourself.

If you have the wrong mindset, unbound to the work of Spirit and the Gospel, it leads to moralism, Christianity becomes about changing behavior.

Jesus is an example, but an impossible one. He is our savior, not our role model. He is first and foremost our atoning sacrifice for sin. We must always keep in mind, not what he would do, but what he did.

Christ is not merely a teacher and example, but a gift and present given us by God, so that we may be saved through Him. – Formula of Concord, SD III.41

The question WWJD subtly assumes that we can choose the right thing if we just try harder. It often sets aside the biblical truth the sin corrupts everything we are and do. We are saved sinners, yet still sinners until Jesus’ return or death. It is only the New Man, not the Old Adam, that even desires to do the right thing. The new creation lives alongside the sinful self. Sanctification is caused by the word working in our lives, not by our moral striving. We are so prone to shifting the thing backwards. Instead of putting justification first, we like to put sanctification first. Sanctification flows from justification. As the Book of Concord says:

Faith alone justifies… Good works necessarily and invariably follow. – Apology of the Augsburg Confession IV.64

So, of course, ask yourself WWJD. But more than that, trust what he has done. He has put you on his shoulders and carried you to safety. He has paid your debt of sin fully.

And because of that you now have confidence, you are free to love as you have been loved. Not for recognition by God, not to earn God’s favor, you are already his forgiven child. You don’t have to try to be good enough. God himself has declared you righteous on account of Christ. In that knowledge you can serve your neighbor just as you are called to do.

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

Luke 10:1-20; The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost; July 6, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”” (Luke 10:1–20, ESV)

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

It is spiritual warfare. That is exactly what it is. Jesus sends out the 72 disciples to do battle—not with sword, or guns but with the Word. Deamons scream. Satan falls like lightning. The villages and towns are warned. And peace, above all, is proclaimed. The battle is dramatic. The battle is visible.

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

It is filled with victory. It sounds like victory. It looks like victory.

It is what we want, but seldom see. For us our spiritual warfare doesn’t feel like lightning striking villages, or demons fleeing in terror. It looks more like bitterness in a committee meeting. A quiet despair filled night sitting beside an ailing parent. Doubt that God really means that there is forgiveness for all our sin. It feels like when we give up on prayer because we are tired. The creeping sense that the church is failing as churches everywhere close. That it is weak and scattered. It looks like the media mocking what we believe as unenlightened. It’s that awful gut feeling that we are losing.

But don’t be fooled. The battle is the same. In fact, everything is the same.

C.S. Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters, puts it like this—a senior demon instructing a junior one:

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 [for demons the Enemy is God]. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing.

That’s spiritual warfare, a bitter battle of small things not just wild rebellion.

In this battle, Satan stands against God—he always loses. The outcome is already assured. Jesus wins. Satan is defeated. He fails every time the Word is preached, every time a sinner is absolved, every time a baptized child of God, shows up in worship, to sing, pray and give thanks. It is a real battle, bloody and vicious. No prisoners are taken. And God, in Jesus Christ, wins, every time.

And when I say the battle is real, I’m talking about the spiritual combat. When Jesus sent the 72 he sent them saying,

Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

They don’t go with anything worldly substantial. No money, no weapons, and no protection. They are sent with the Word alone. We don’t hear about it from them, but Jesus prepared them for rejection, resistance, and opposition.

That is our battle also. We go into our families, workplaces, and even in our congregation. We are armed with nothing worldly, but with the same Word. It looks a bit different for us. Because it does, we are tempted to believe that the fight isn’t happening—or worse that we are losing.

Our enemy isn’t flesh and blood. It’s not the people who cause us delays or speak against us openly. It isn’t the conflicts we face in the church. The real enemy we face is Satan and his demons. The enemy sows division, fear, and despair.

For the devil… causes such great mischief in order to lead us into sin, shame, and unbelief. — Large Catechism, Sixth Petition

The devil may work with whispers and slow erosion—but the Lord doesn’t leave us defenseless. He arms us with something sharper than shame, deeper than doubt, and stronger than despair:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. — Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

It doesn’t only soothe us in times of despair. It pierces the soul. It exposes sin, kills pride and causes faith in Christ to grow. And remember, it never returns empty but always does what God intends. It doesn’t look like much, but the demons run in terror. The daily battle in the spiritual war isn’t fought with power, but rather with proclamation of Christ.

The real fight is in your forgiving sin in an underserving sinner; in teaching children the faith as found in the Catechism; in sermons preached by a sinful pastor; in showing up for church, even when you are tired, discouraged and angry.

Jesus wasn’t surprised when the 72 returned with their report. They were amazed; he was not.

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (v. 18)

He was saying that the battle and the war are already over. It is not in doubt. The devil is already falling. The language is a dramatic event; Jesus compares it to lightning. He could be saying:

When you were casting out demons, I was watching Satan, already collapsed, cast down, and completely undone.

You may feel tired, discouraged, or even defeated. But Jesus’ victory over Satan is complete.

Do not rejoice in this… but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (v. 20)

That’s you, the baptized child of God, whose name is written in the book. Jesus has accomplished it for you. His death on the cross, brings you forgiveness, his resurrection secures if for you. That’s where the battle is won, forever.

Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpower us. This world's prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none. He's judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him. LSB 656

Martin also writes:

The devil is called the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), yet the Gospel is stronger. When it is preached purely, it is a lightning bolt from heaven, tearing down strongholds and setting captives free.”— Adapted from Martin Luther’s Lectures on Galatians

This victory, Christ’s victory can’t be taken away from you. The joy of it is not in dramatic spiritual success. The real joy is you and your identity in Christ. You belong to him. He has proved it through Holy Baptism, marking you as one redeemed by Christ the Crucified. That is God’s promise, and it can never be undone. No delay, no conflict, no fear, not even the devil himself, can remove your name from the Book.

You may not feel powerful. In fact, you may feel exactly the opposite. You may not see dramatic results (though sometimes you will!) Your baptism stands.

We are in a war. That war isn’t with flesh and blood. Christ has already won it. He has already stormed the battlefield and defeated our enemies. He has crushed the Serpent’s head and risen in victory. The fight was fierce, but it was never in doubt. It is proclaimed every time you hear about Jesus’ life, death on the cross, and the resurrection from death.

So, we fight—not for victory—but from victory. We serve where we are needed despite the opposition. We forgive the unforgivable. We pray for the others caught up in the battle. But we don’t fight to win. That is already done.

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

That’s all the security you need. Amen.

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