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

In the Beginning God...

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

In the beginning God… (Genesis 1:1a)

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

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

The Hebrew puts it just a bit differently.

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the beginning God created…

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים

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

שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה׀ אֶחָֽד

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

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

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

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

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

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

“And God said…”

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

“And God said… and it was so.”

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

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

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

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

Genesis leaves the mystery largely unexplained. Moses simply records,

And God said.

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

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

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

His first appearance is in Genesis Chapter 16.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It comes in Jesus Christ.

The Apostle John takes us back to the very beginning:

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

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

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

It comes at the cross.

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

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

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

The Father sends the Son:

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

The Son willingly obeys the Father’s will:

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

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

And the Spirit is no less active:

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

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

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

Here we see how God is love.

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

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

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

And that is what the cross reveals.

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

The Father gives His Son.

The Son gives Himself.

The Spirit delivers the fruits of that sacrifice.

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

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

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

Genesis 18:17-33; The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost; July 27, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.” (Genesis 18:17–33, ESV)

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

You know that Jesus intercedes for you, right? Do you understand how utterly amazing that is? At this very moment, the Lord of the Universe, the Crucified Son of God, sitting at the right hand of the Father, reigning over all things, is speaking your name to God, the Father. He isn’t distant. He is pleading for your faith. He is there before God, showing his justifying wounds pleading for you. When your words of prayer fail, when you are tired and harassed by the things of this world, when you don’t know what to say, he is praying for you. He is your advocate. He is your high priest. He is your brother. Despite all your sins, all your sorrow, all your doubt, all your selfishness, he pleads for you. If you could see what he is doing for you, right now, you would never doubt his love for you.

Let that sink in for just a moment.

When I was at the seminary, I took a class call “The History of the Christian Church”. We called it “The History of Heresy”. We went through history step by step, heresy by heresy, highlighting the churches’ failures, misinterpretations, errors, and downright lies. By the end of the class, we were wondering how the church ever survived. My professor, Rev. Ron Feuerhaun, seemed to understand how we were feeling. During a lecture highlighting a particularly heinous error, he stopped the lecture, walked around the podium and sat on the desk. The room fell silent. “Gentlemen,” he began, “Remember, the Lord is still praying for his church.” What he meant was, despite all the error, pain and suffering, Jesus is still interceding for his church.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:34, ESV)

Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

Even a cursory look at the History of The Christian Church, bears out, that it has only survived because of Jesus’ intercession. Faithful Christians sin. Faithful Christians doubt. Faithful Christians push toward error. That is the constant struggle of the church. We bring our sin; Jesus brings his forgiveness. We are Saints and Sinners. Our sinful flesh would have us push out everything to do with God’s grace. Without his constant intercession on our behalf, the church would never grow. Keep that in mind as we move forward with our building project.

Jesus is our intercessor. There is no other. Roman Catholics try to use the Saints as intercessors, not replacing Christ, but using them as subordinate intercessors. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The saints do not take Christ’s place. They do not answer prayers by their own power. But in their closeness to God, they lovingly pray for us—just as we lovingly pray for others on earth. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, summary of §§956–957)

This false idea doesn’t come from scripture, or even the books the Roman church sticks in between the testaments. It is a post-scriptural development. There is nothing in scripture that says the dead in Christ hear or even see anything on the sinful earth. The dead are cut off from the living.

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing [of earth], and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, ESV)

Grandma isn’t looking down on your life. If she did, she’d be appalled at your sin. If you think about it that’s a good thing. Grandma is enjoying the presence of Christ. No more sin. No more death. No more suffering.

The false teaching that the Saints intercede for us has led to an even greater sin. Just an example. Have you heard that if you bury a statue of Joseph upside down in your yard before you sell your house, he’ll be forced to help it sell (be sure to dig him up after the sale or he’ll curse you instead!)? The truth is, the carpenter, the step father of Jesus, Joseph, doesn’t know or much less care about your house.

So, how do we get here from our text today about Abraham bargaining with God? Well, Abraham is interceding for the sinners in Sodom and Gomorrah. He boldly asks if 50 faithful are found, would God destroy the city. God says he won’t if 50 are found. Then Abraham asks about 45, 40, 20 and 10. God relents at 10 and says he won’t destroy the city if he finds 10. Abraham is silent. He has pushed God as far as he can. So, why did Abraham stop at 10? Didn’t he know how many people were in Lot’s family? 10 seems like a small number for such large cities. Maybe he realized that even though his intercession was bold and faithful, it had a limit. He could not save the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He could plead with God, but he could not save. He could ask, but righteousness was not his to give. Abrham was a friend of God, he spoke to him boldly on account of the people of the cities. But he isn’t the redeemer. Abraham stopped at 10, but Jesus doesn’t stop. He is the righteous one who saves, who gives his own righteousness freely. He is the one who pleads to the Father on account of the guilty, offering them (especially you and me!) that righteousness. Abraham plead his case; he was willing to speak very directly to God. Jesus is willing to die. On the cross Jesus pleads to the Father for sinners. His death there is the reason we are saved from hell. Abraham reflects God, although limited. Jesus is the very image of God in human flesh. Jesus is the more complete Abraham. Better. He is the only one.

So, what does that mean for us today? We have an advocate, a perfect advocate. You can see it in the history of the church. It is preserved because of Jesus. Century after century, heresy after heresy, corruption, persecution and weakness, the church still stands on the Word of God, protected by Christ himself.

Numbers don’t matter. 10, 20, or 33. The church lives in Christ, and for Christ. It isn’t us, it’s him. “Brothers, Jesus is still praying for his church!” He does it when we are too weary. He does it when everything seems to go wrong. He does it when our worship is weak, when our doctrine is confused, and our witness is tainted. Jesus Christ remains faithful. He doesn’t bargain. He paid the price for his church in blood.

And so, like Jesus, we plead to the Father for “the whole church of God and all people according to their needs.” It is because we are part of Christ. It is exactly what he does. And we are joyfully able to pray because he is the perfect advocate. We never pray alone. The Spirit interprets our feeble prayers. We have an advocate at the right hand of the Father. He is speaking to the Father for all those we pray for. And he is speaking your name, advocating for you, right now. Jesus has covered you in his robe of righteousness. You are his. Amen.

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

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.

Genesis 50:15-21; The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost; September 17, 2023;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50:15-21, ESV)

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

The story of Joseph has it all; sex, lies, deceit, family conflict. Those reality TV shows have nothing on this story. Joseph was the victim of his brother’s jealousy. You remember how he was cast into a well to be killed because he was dad’s favorite. He got the best stuff like the expensive coat of many colors. And apparently, he got more of dad’s attention too. He stayed home while the other brothers had to go with the sheep in the far fields. Joseph didn’t help either telling his brothers (and his parents) that they’d be serving him some day, because he dreamt it. His brothers hated him enough to want him dead. When Jacob sent him out to spy on them and they would have killed him had it not been for Brother Reuben. He convinced them to sell Joseph to the traveling caravan of Ishmaelites. That put Joseph in Egypt in the house of a man named Potiphar. He was a hard worker and soon oversaw everything this powerful man owned. Josheph was a hansom boy, and Potiphar’s wife had a roving eye and it landed on him. She cornered him to have a little affair, but Joseph refused. She screamed bloody murder and got Joseph thrown in jail. This was better than the alternative, because Potiphar certainly could have had him executed on the spot. In the prison Joseph again rose to a good position, he always seemed to land on his feet. While he was there the king’s cup bearer and baker were also thrown in prison. When they had dreams they didn’t understand, Joseph, by the gift of God, told them what they meant. The cup bearer would be back with Pharaoh, the baker would lose his head. When it all turned out as Joseph said he asked the cupbearer to tell Pharaoh about him. But Joseph was forgotten and spent more time in jail. When Pharaoh had a dream he couldn’t understand the cup bearer remembered the dream teller in prison. He told Pharaoh and Joseph had his chance again. The dream was about seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. Pharaoh was so pleased with Joseph, he put him in charge of preparing for the famine.

Meanwhile back at home, the famine struck hard and Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy food. Unknowingly the brothers came upon their “dead” brother, who was now in charge. He provided for their needs and brought the whole family to live with him in Egypt. That’s where our text for today picks up. The brothers wonder if Joseph is just waiting for their father to die to take out his revenge. Joseph shows he is a man of great character. He might be entitled to a bit of revenge, but he’ll not take it. “What you meant for evil, God meant for good. Look at where we are and how God has taken care of us. God is indeed faithful.”

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28, ESV) I often read this passage at the bedside of a member in the hospital. It is a passage we Christians are familiar with and take great comfort with. But as often as we hear it and even though we believe what it says, it is also true that we don’t always see that God is doing what he promises to do. How can the bad things that happen to me be “for the good?” Didn’t you often ask yourselves what you did that God would treat you this way? When we run through tough times, it is easy to think that God isn’t keeping his promises. When life is hard, and trouble is forefront we wonder where God is in it all. When our hopes and dreams seem to be fading away, when what we want for our future evaporates before our eyes, we ask God why he isn’t keeping up his end of our life.

How like the brothers of Joseph we are. God does good for us, and we doubt his promises. Trouble comes and we look to the worst instead of the best. God is faithful and we mistrust his promises. In other words, we sin. We can’t help it. We find it very difficult to trust God’s promises. We find it difficult to accept that God allows trouble and heartache into our lives. We want God to work the way we want him to work. If I were God, I’d surely not let people suffer this way. If I were God, I’d eliminate suffering. If I were God, I’d make sure every day was a happy day instead of a sad or troubled day. If I were God… that sounds familiar, doesn’t it. Isn’t it the snake in the garden that told Adam and Eve that they could be gods? “If you eat the fruit, you’ll know good and evil, and you can be in control instead of God.” For all our talk of faith and trust we haven’t come very far from the Garden, have we? We haven’t gotten over our desire to be god. We still want things our way instead of God’s way. We forget that he indeed knows what is best. It happens often when we stand in the face of trouble, afraid. We are fearful that we will suffer. We want to avoid suffering at all costs.

That is just like Joseph’s brothers. They were afraid of suffering for the sin they had done to Joseph. They were looking at years of guilt, years of payback. But instead of revenge Joseph comforts them. God uses even evil such as this and makes it good. Joseph was telling them, that God used their sin to save thousands from starving. He used their sinful act and saved their family through it. Joseph’s faith and character tell us a lot about who he is, but even more they show us who God is. God takes evil in the world and uses it for good. We can’t always see the results, so we sometimes think there are none.

Imagine if the disciples had the faith of Joseph, when the guards came to arrest Our Savior in the garden, they would not have fled into the darkness. They would have trusted that God would use that very evil event and used it for the good of all people. Don’t we all need to learn that God will take care of us in all things, no matter what we face, no matter what the pain we face, no matter what the trouble? The truth is we are like Joseph’s brothers when we think we are like Joseph.

And yet, we have a Savior. We need a Savior. We are lost in our sin, helpless, like the brothers lacking faith when we need it most. Like the disciples in the garden unable to see the good that will come about because of suffering. But as sinful as we are, God is even more faithful. We have a brother who is gracious and faithful to us. It is our sin that leads him to pain and suffering. It is our faithlessness that brings him to blows of the whip. It is our arrogance and pride that drives the nails into his hands and feet and the thorns into his scalp. Our brother sold into death. This brother is even more faithful than Joseph. He has even more mercy than you and I and Pharaoh’s right-hand man. He saves us not from famine but from eternal death. He says about us, “Father forgive them.” Jesus Christ God’s son, our Brother, and Savior forgives. His blood shed on the cross is our cleansing. His innocent suffering and death at our hands is what sets us free from sin, death, and hell. God uses the most terrible event in history, the killing of his only son, to bring forgiveness to all people.

The passage we are so familiar with in Romans continues with these words:

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32, ESV)

The answer is yes indeed! God gives us all things we need. If he sent Jesus to suffer and die for our greatest need, he will take care of all our other needs as well. God is perfectly willing to use whatever means are necessary to do what is best for us. Imagine if a parent wouldn’t discipline a child for playing in the street. When traffic killed the child, we would be outraged. God will do whatever is necessary for our benefit. Mostly though God uses trouble and pain remind us of Jesus. Suffering and uneasy times push us to faith and trust. When there is nowhere else to turn, we turn to God. When all our regular supports fail God is faithful. Sometimes we need to hit the bottom to be reminded that our Gracious God and Savior Jesus Christ, has done all things necessary for our salvation, and that all things are in his hands.

But that isn’t all. God indeed gives us everything we need and then he gives us more. As in everything else God’s math doesn’t add up according to our thinking. He gives all and then he gives even more. We have his Word, where he tells us of his love for us in Jesus. He tells us of the salvation won for us through Jesus perfect life, his sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection. And then there’s more. We have the assurance of God’s name placed on us in Holy Baptism. We are his. God is where his name is. He is not far away when you suffer, he is close at hand to strengthen you and lead you through. God is right amid our suffering with us. He gives the body and blood of Jesus shed on the cross, that by eating it you would be strengthened in faith. You are reminded of the price paid to save you from sin, the suffering and death of Jesus and that gives you the sure and certain hope that your suffering has purpose, just as his does. His blood and body go into you and cleanse you from your sin of doubt. Forgiveness strengthens faith. Forgiveness restores relationships. Forgiveness restores trust. God forgives you through Jesus.

My dear Christian friends, I wish I could promise you no trouble in your life. I wish I could say there would be no pain in your future. I can’t. God doesn’t make that promise to you either. What he does promise, what he wants you to remember and hold on to in faith, is that it always has a purpose. He wants you to trust that he works it out for your good. He makes that promise to you.

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

Genesis 32:22-30; Ninetheenth Sunday after Pentecost; October 16, 2022;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” (Genesis 32:22-30, ESV)

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

What do you do when God is your enemy? Life is full of moments like that when you are at odds with God; when it feels like He’s against you; and you are against Him. When there is a death in the family, trouble with your neighbors, illness that won’t / can’t be healed, rejection by the community, conflict in the church, and unfair treatment on the job. When things like these happen God just doesn’t seem to be doing his job. Instead of being there to help you and make things go better, go your way, God seems to be the problem, ignoring you and your prayers, or even blocking the way of progress. I don’t deserve this! You pray. You feel like Jacob, alone in the desert, wrestling with God.

Jacob spent his whole life wrestling with God, his family and himself. He fought with his brother, Esau, over who should receive the family blessing from their father. You might remember how he plotted with his mother to steal it. Isaac, their father, sent Esau out to hunt for food, bring it back to him and receive the family blessing. He was the older son; he was entitled to it. While he was out Jacob’s mother prepared a sheep in a way to fool the old man. She dressed Jacob up in lamb’s skin so he would feel and smell like his older brother (apparently a hairy man!). Jacob took the food to his father, deceived him into thinking he was his brother, and received the blessing. He had to flee for his life. Esau pledged to kill him as soon as their father’s funeral and mourning time were over. Jacob wrestled. His place in the family wasn’t to his liking. He took matters into his own hands to receive the blessing. It cost him his home.

And that’s not the end of Jacob’s story, or struggles. When he left his father’s house, he went his live with his uncle Laban. He agreed to work for him and in return, after seven years, he would marry Laban’s younger daughter Rachel. When the seven years were up, Laban fooled him and when the wedding night was over, Jacob discovered he had married the wrong girl, Leah the old sister. So, Jacob was forced to work another seven years to marry Rachel. Jacob wrestled. He wanted one girl and, just as he had deceived, he was deceived. Another seven years and he had his “preferred” wife. But Jacob’s wrestling had just begun. Leah, the older, less attractive woman was very fertile. She had four boys. This didn’t set very well with Rachel, since she couldn’t seem to have any, she offered Jacob a servant girl. She had two sons for Jacob. Leah wasn’t to be out done. In response she gave Jacob her servant and she had two more sons. Leah had two more and a daughter. And finally, Rachel was remembered by God and had a son of her own, his name was Joseph. Jacob wrestled. While his wives had a birthing battle to prove who was the favorite wife, Jacob was caught in between.

But that’s not all. After working so many years for Laban, Jacob felt he hadn’t earned enough just by having productive wives and servants. He made a scheme to relieve Laban of a portion of his flocks. Under the agreement, Jacob’s flocks grew until Laban wasn’t happy with the arrangement anymore. Jacob was forced to flee again. Jacob wrestled. He had gained wealth and a huge family, but now he was homeless again. All he had spend his whole life struggling with his family.

That brings us to our reading for today. Jacob returns home to the brother who swore to kill him. He sent everything he had on ahead to meet Esau first as a buffer against his brother’s anger. Then all alone, he wrestled with a stranger all night. It is a very mysterious account. Jacob not giving up and the stranger touching his thigh putting it out of joint. Still Jacob refuses to give up the struggle. “I will not let go until you bless me!” The stranger changes his name from Jacob to Israel. “Because you have wrestled with God and with men and have prevailed.” “Please tell me your name,” Jacob insisted. He receives a blessing. Oh, by the way, do you know what Israel means. “He struggles with God.” And just so you don’t miss the point, Jacob names the place where this all happened, Penuel. Penuel means “The face of God.” So, in some mysterious, miraculous way, Jacob wrestled again. This time it was with God who was a man. And he limped away with a blessing and a new name. What was the blessing? We’ll talk about that in a moment.

So here we are, also wrestlers with God. Sometimes we wrestle with him because of our own sinfulness. His Word enters our ears while we sit in the pew and strikes our hearts hard. We want to grab hold of God and try to wrestle Him into submission. We want God to conform to our standards of living. If God would just bend the law a bit for me, so I can do what I want to do and have a blessing and religion, too. We struggle with God over things we want. We want wealth and power and things, and we are not above bribing God to get it. If I win the lottery, I’ll give a big gift to the church. God give me what I want, and I’ll come to church more. Heal my sickness and I’ll tell everyone you did it. Put my family back together and we’ll spend our time serving the church.

Sometimes we wrestle with God because He just seems so absent. We pray and it seems we receive no answer. We are lonely and God doesn’t send anyone to visit. We are sick and God doesn’t heal us. We struggle with finances and God doesn’t give us what we need. We fight in our families and God doesn’t give us peace. We wrestle with God over what seems to be so right, and yet God does what God does. A lot of the time, God seems to be the enemy. He seems to want only suffering and pain for us. He seems to want us to disagree with our neighbors about what the bible teaches. He seems to want us to struggle. We don’t think we deserve this kind of treatment from God.

The truth is that God is involved in the very smallest details of our lives. He’s present even when we think He is not. He wrestles with us in our struggles. That’s when we see most clearly our need for God to intervene, for God to be in control. God engages us in the midst of a world that struggles because of sin, every day.

God comes down to be in the midst of us. God came to Jacob in human form and wrestled with him. Jesus, God in human flesh, does the same. He is God’s gift, God’s promise to Jacob. Through Jacob’s children’s children’s children God was made man in Jesus Christ. That’s the blessing that was given to him. It is the blessing given to us, through him. Jesus wrestled with the sin and brokenness of the world. He set things right. He made them new again through His death on the cross and His victory, His resurrection from the dead. God gives us a new name. He gives us His name, and a blessing. That’s what Holy Baptism does. We are connected to Jesus and His struggle with sin, death, and hell. We come out victorious because Jesus won the victory for us. Jacob was far from the end of his wrestling. We wrestle every day too. But every day again God renews our connection to Jesus. In the face of discouragement, and loneliness, and hardship and pain and failure, He reminds us of our membership in His family, our belonging to Him.

I like this picture of Jacob clinging to the stranger. He’s in pain. He frightened. And yet he is determined, clinging to God because he knows only God can save him. That’s faith; clinging to Jesus, no matter what. That’s hard in the face of trouble. That’s hard when it feels like God is a million miles away. That’s hard when we are in pain. It’s hard when God himself seems to be the problem, wrestling with us putting our hip out of joint. But it’s God’s promise that is important here. He doesn’t bless us because we hang onto him. We hang on to Him because He is the only source of our blessing. Jesus is the fulfillment of our promise, God in the flesh, who lived and died and rose again to rebuild our relationship to God. To assure us that no matter what happens in life, God is on our side. To promise us a resurrection after death. A new perfect world no more wrestling.

Jacob limped away from his encounter with God. When God wrestles with us, we often are left with an injury. We limp away but God goes with us. He calls us by name. He uses us, wounded though we may be to get done what he wants done. That’s what He did with Jacob. That’s what He does with you and me. Amen.

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

Genesis 9:8-17; The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; July 25, 2021;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”” (Genesis 9:8–17, ESV)

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

Today, I'm going to tell you a story. By a story I don't mean something that is fiction. This story is absolutely true and happened exactly as the Bible tells it. This is the story of the great flood that destroyed all the Earth except for the seven members of Noah's family that were safely tucked inside the ark. One of the things I want you to understand from this story is that it is not a cute children's tale. Instead, it is a story of God's anger and wrath over sin. For us it's tainted by children's pictures of cute animals going into the ark two by two. When we see it that way, we miss the depth of God's anger and his righteous judgment over sin.

It needs to be understood, the world was completely corrupt. The Bible says The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5, ESV)

It says that God was "grieved" that he had made man. At this point, I think you and I should shudder. For the people that covered the earth at that time were really no different than what we are. They were people living their lives according to their own thoughts and desires. This is indeed what we so often do. Here I want you to think about Psalm 51:

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:3–5, ESV) And although we find it hard to believe, God was completely justified, "blameless in his judgment." As we have talked about so many times all sin comes from our inability to live in a perfect relationship with God. The inability to love God with our whole heart our whole soul and our whole mind.

And yet, God is always gracious. In the midst of the promised destruction God saves Noah and his family. The Bible says Noah was a "righteous man and walked with God". That doesn't mean the Noah did not sin. It simply means that his outward character was completely different from those surrounding him. Noah was publicly known to worship Yahweh. God commanded Noah to build an ark. In the ark God would save two of every creature of the Earth. Every animal that had the breath of life in it. Noah faithfully obeyed God. He built the ark. According to God's command the ark was to be 450 feet long 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. If you go the whole length of our property along Sumner Avenue, and go from the street to the first window here in the church, and twice as high as the church from the basement floor to the peek of the roof, that's the size of the ark. Rather than looking like a boat, the ark was probably more like a big box with the slanted roof and an open slot for air and light all around the top. In it God would save Noah and his family and every "kind" of animal that lived on the earth. And when all were inside God sealed the door and sent the flood to the earth. It was a disaster. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The water came from everywhere. It covered the whole earth to 15 feet over the highest mountain. The terror of our spring tornado is nothing compared to the terror of those people on whose God judgment fell. And make no mistake it was God's judgment.

[God] blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.” (Genesis 7:23, ESV)

When the judgment was over, and the land was able to sustain life again, Noah and his family and all the animals came out of the ark. Then standing there on Mount Ararat in the aftermath of God's judgment over sin, God made a promise. Never again would all creatures be cut off by a flood over the whole Earth. And as a reminder God set against the darkness of the clouds the bright colors of the rainbow. It was a sign, not to the people, but a reminder to God himself that he would never again destroy the earth in such a way. When you see a rainbow, instead of thinking about Judy Garland, leprechauns and gay pride parades, you should fear and love God for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. It is the visible sign of his grace and mercy. Listen to Martin Luther:

Our merciful God always placed some outward and visible sign of His grace alongside the Word, so that men, reminded by the outward sign and work or Sacrament, would believe with greater assurance that God is kind and merciful. Thus after the Flood the rainbow appeared in order to serve as a convincing proof that in the future God would not give vent to His wrath against the world by a similar punishment…To us in the New Testament, Baptism and the Eucharist have been given as visible signs of grace, so that we might firmly believe that our sins have been forgiven through Christ’s suffering and that we have been redeemed by His death. (Luther’s Works (American Edition) 1:248. This connection between the rainbow-sign and the sacramental signs of baptism and Eucharist is common in Luther: LW 2:144; 20:67–8; 35:86; 36:174; 37:135; and 54:56.)

The rainbow is God's visible sign that he will not destroy the earth with water again. It stretches from horizon to horizon. It reaches up into the menacing clouds as a reminder to God and us of God's far-reaching mercy.

So also, God gives us the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion as visible signs of the forgiveness of sins that Jesus Christ won on the cross for us. But unlike the rainbow these are not just signs. Through these gifts, these visible gifts, God brings to us what Jesus Christ did for us. When we see our sin and are well aware of the just punishment for our sin, that is eternal death, we are comforted by the visible signs of the Sacraments. Just like Noah and his family were comforted by the visible sign of the rainbow. The sacraments we have are also God's promises to us. Baptism is the flood that drowns our old sinful nature and cleanses us from sin. The whole earth was cleansed by water from sin. In Baptism God makes promises to us individually. All that Jesus did his life, death, and resurrection are ours. So also, we have the visible elements of bread and wine in Holy Communion that feeds us during our life journey, just as Noah fed the animals on the ark, during their journey. Sacraments are our pointers back to Jesus Christ and all that he is done for us. The rainbow was Noah and his family's pointer forward to God's grace in Jesus Christ. God promised not to punish the world in this way for its sin. Instead, God himself would come in human flesh and bear the whole world's sin on the cross.

The Bible does speak of a second worldwide catastrophe at the end of history. Jesus himself says that this is "coming soon". All will be surprised at the coming "just as it was in the days of Noah" (Luke 17:26). And in fact, in the medieval days of the church, there was a common image of Christ the stern judge enthroned upon a rainbow. It was a reminder that he would come again to judge the whole world, the living and the dead. But because of God's gracious promises in Jesus Christ, shown to us in the sacraments, and the image of the rainbow, we have God as our gracious Lord. Because Jesus has indeed taken our sin to the cross and suffered the punishment for all of that. Te need not fear the judgment at the end of time. For Jesus is our judge, but he is also and more importantly our Savior. Again, listen to Luther:

“Therefore we who come to Christ want to have him as a gracious Lord. The rainbow on which he sits enthroned does not terrify me; it appears for my salvation. We do not look upon him as a judge. He will call for us. He will not reject us.” (Luther’s Works (American Edition) 23:61)

Amen.

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

Genesis 50:15–21; The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost; September, 13, 2020;

Genesis 50:15–21; The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost; September, 13, 2020; Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN; When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (Genesis 50:15–21, ESV) Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was a lot of water under the bridge! Joseph’s brothers were quite nasty. Not that they didn’t have some cause. Joseph was, after all, daddy’s favorite. It was Joseph against his eleven brothers. Israel, father of all twelve, kept Joseph near, and gave him special gifts, like the special long tunic (probably NOT a coat of many colors). Joseph must have continually rubbed it in his brother’s faces, (kind of like the Smother’s brothers, “mom always liked you best”). As the bible tells us Joseph had his father’s ear and brought a bad report to him about his brothers. They, for their part, could not speak kindly to him. And then there was Joseph’s dreams. The first was about the sheaves of wheat. “Hey brothers! Listen to my dream. We were harvesting wheat and my sheave stood up straight and yours bowed down to mine!” The brothers didn’t take it kindly. “Are you going to be our king? Are we going to be your servants?” It was another nail in the coffin of jealousy. But again, Joseph wasn’t just prideful to his brothers. He told them all about another dream where the sun, moon and 11 stars all bowed down to him. Even his father was displeased. “Am I going to bow down to you?” Such was Joseph’s relationship with his family. Sometime later, Israel sent Joseph to check up on his brothers when they had the flocks in the fields. While he was a long way off the brother’s hatred was sparked by the opportunity to get rid of the “favorite son.” “Let’s kill him and tell father that it was a wild animal that got him.” Such was their hatred for him. This was not your normal dysfunctional family. The oldest brother, though, had a different idea. “Don’t kill him, just throw him into one of the pits around here.” I don’t think that Ruben was really having pangs of guilt. I think he was thinking if he rescued Joseph he would move up in his father’s eyes and be (at least) the 2nd favorite. The brother’s carried out their plot against their brother and threw him into a waterless pit. While Ruben was gone away the brothers saw a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way to Egypt and took the opportunity to make some cash. They sold the dreamer to them for the price of a slave. When Ruben found out, he wasn’t worried about Joseph but instead wailed, “Now what am I going to do?” The Ishmaelites sold Joseph to a wealthy man in Egypt, named Potiphar. The whole thing with his brothers seems to have mellowed the boy a bit, because he became a very hard worker and was soon over seeing all of his master’s household. The bible says that God caused all he did to succeed. After some time, Potiphar’s wife had eyes for the attractive young boy and tried to seduce him. But Joseph would have no part of it. Finally, she cornered him in the empty house and grabbed ahold of his tunic. He stripped it off and went out of the house without it. Potiphar believed his wife’s story that Joseph was the one who was the offender. He had Joseph thrown into prison. But God was faithful to Joseph still. He was also successful there. Soon he found favor with the jailer and was the head trustee. He took care of everything in the prison. While he was there Pharaoh became unhappy with his cupbearer and his head baker and they ended up in jail. They each had dreams that Joseph interpreted. The cupbearer would be restored by Pharaoh, but the baker hanged. It happened just as Joseph said. But the cupbearer didn’t think about telling Pharaoh about his dream interpreter until two years later when Pharaoh himself had a troubling dream that he didn’t understand. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and he was brought to listen to the dream and tell what it meant. “In my dream,” the king began, “I was standing by the Nile river and out came 7 nice looking, healthy cows. But right after were 7 ugly, gaunt cows. The ugly ones ate up the good ones and looked like they were still starving. I had a second dream,” Pharaoh continued, “7 plump ears of corn sprang from the ground followed by 7 thin ones. The thin ones swallowed up the plump ones.” God gave the interpretation to Joseph. There would be 7 good years of great harvest followed by 7 years of terrible famine. The famine would be so great that people all over would completely forget about the good. He advised the king to prepare during the 7 good years by setting someone over the land to collect grain over the first so that it could be used during the second. And Pharaoh agreed. In fact, he picked Joseph for the job. Joseph did so well that he was placed 2nd only to the king himself. Now the famine was as bad as Joseph had said, it even effected the land that his family lived on. Israel sent his 10 oldest sons to buy grain in Egypt as did people from everywhere. When the brothers arrived, they didn’t recognize their brother but he knew exactly who they were. He accused them of lying to him and being spies. He said they could prove themselves if they went home and brought their youngest brother who had stayed behind. Simeon stayed behind and they went home. When the grain ran out, against their father’s protest, Benjamin was taken back. Joseph treated them all well, gave them grain and sent them on their way. Secretly he put a cup from Pharaoh’s table in Ben’s bag. He sent his servants to intercept the caravan and brought them back accusing them of theft. Ruben offered his own life for his younger brother proving that they had changed. Joseph revealed himself to them and invited them to come and live in Egypt through the famine. That brings us to our reading for today. Israel dies and the brothers are worried that Joseph has been waiting to carry out his vengeance against them. They were filled with fear. Their father could no longer protect them from their brother’s anger. They had come face-to-face with the temporal / worldly consequences of their sin. They are repentant and Joseph assures them of their forgiveness. Sin was confessed and absolved. Despite the evil they had done, God had taken it and used it for their good, in fact the good of the whole world. God enabled Joseph to forgive because Joseph himself had been forgiven. The devil has a way of using our guilt against us. He wants us to live in fear. He doesn’t want us to receive God’s free and full forgiveness. He doesn’t want us to see Jesus Christ as our savior from sin. He doesn’t want us to see Jesus as the one who took God’s punishment for our sin into the grave and rose from the dead victorious. He works extremely hard to get us to live in fear and doubt God’s forgiveness. He sets us up to fear just like he did with Joseph’s brothers. God must be out to get us, punish us, and kill us. He couldn’t possibly forgive me. Satan has us right where he wants us when we are scrambling about in fear with nowhere to turn, trying to protect ourselves. What Satan doesn’t want us to see, is Jesus. He is God’s answer to our sin. In love, God, the Father, takes our sin and heaps it on his own Son, Jesus. Jesus is God in the flesh, born of the Virgin Mary, nailed to a cross, of his own free will. There hanging suspended between heaven and earth, he suffers God’s punishment for the sin of Joseph and his brothers, and for yours and mine. Jesus’ death is what we deserve, rejection by God and the eternal punishment of hell. But miraculously, after three days dead and in the grave, Jesus lives again. Not just some spiritual resurrection either, a real, physical, bodily resurrection. It is proof that God has vanquished sin, and death, and most important Satan. What Jesus has done, is promise us new life again after our death. Satan no longer has the threat of God’s punishment in hell for you and me. Jesus has removed that. Our death no longer leads to punishment but a waking to new life forever. Joseph’s pit of despair was turned into salvation for his family. Jesus’ cross, his pit of despair, is our salvation. That’s the good news that God wants for you today. Jesus is your savior from sin, death and hell. He tells you that you have no need to fear. He promises you full and free forgiveness. Amen. The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Gen.12.1-9; Second Sunday in Lent, March 8, 2020;

Gen.12.1-9; Second Sunday in Lent, March 8, 2020;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. (Genesis 12:1-9, ESV)

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

And God said to Abram, “Go Now!”

You know, I just don’t think I would have done it.  Oh I know, it’s not really good for a pastor to say he wouldn’t do what God commanded.  But really, look at what Abram is leaving.  God couldn’t be more specific.  Leave your country, your family and your father, leave everything behind that gives you any stability, any sense of belonging.  Most of you live pretty close to your family, and even I live not too far away.  Even if we are at quite a distance we can get reach out and touch our loved ones in a second.  That’s what cell phones do for us, keep us connected at all times to those we love.  Not Abram (his name is later changed to Abraham).  His doing what God told him to do cuts him out of the picture.  His family will go on doing what they’ve been doing.  Abram just won’t be a part of it.  He won’t inherit his father’s land, he won’t see his cousins, or nephews, or nieces, grow up.  He won’t be doing anything for the rest of his life with his family.  God’s command to leave is one sided.  It isn’t just leave.  It is leave everything.  What God does to Abram is disconnect him from his past.  I just don’t think I could do it. 

And the funny thing is that although we consider Abram a great man of faith (and he surely is that!), he doesn’t seem to have been able to do either.  There’s a clue to that here in the text.  Something that tells us Abram’s trouble with doing what God wanted.  God said,

Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house…”

That sounds simple enough, there’s just a little more dramatic force in the original language, God said, “Go now!”  And how does our hero react? He reacts by following God’s command, right?  Well, not exactly. 

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.

Oops, what’s this with Lot going with him?  Why did Abram let that happen?  Isn’t Lot one of his “kindred” that he’s suppose to leave behind?  As it turns out, Abram would regret taking Lot along.  Lot would be no end of trouble.  Lot would be a guy that Abram would end up baling out of trouble again and again.  If Abram would have listened to God, he would have spared himself a Lot of heart ache.  But that’s always the case.  If we listened to what God tells us in His Word, we spare ourselves a lot of heartache too.  Well, we are all cut from the same cloth aren’t we?

And there’s another thing.  It isn’t just us who see Abram’s lack of ability to do what God commanded.  In Joshua 24:3 God tells the people,

Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan… (Joshua 24:3a, ESV)

You see, God made it happen.  You might say that God pushed Abram out of his homeland and dragged him around the land of Canaan.  Over and over again Abram showed he was weak in doing what God wanted and trusting that God would do as he promised.  Here is just a few points to remember:

ü  Abram was given the most beautiful woman in the land (possibly the world, but don’t start thinking swimsuit model here, our sense of beauty is very different from theirs).  Sari was not only beautiful but she the way that God had promised to deliver His promises to Abram.  She would be the mother of the great nation.  And yet, Abram lent her out to two kings as a sex toy just to save his own skin.

ü  God promised that he and Sarah would have a son, the first born of a great nation.  Abraham took matters into his own hands, literally, by sleeping with another woman.  If God won’t give me a son through Sari I’ll get one this way.

Over and over again, Abraham shows himself to be doubtful of God’s promises.  That’s what we heard St. Paul say too, isn’t it.

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. (Romans 4:2, ESV)

In fact, Abraham had nothing to boost about before God.  Everything that God asked him to do, he did imperfectly.  If God hadn’t stepped in over and over again, Abraham would have screwed everything up, over and over again.  Now there’s something to keep in mind.  Abraham may have his doubts.  He didn’t always do what God told him to do, the way God wanted it done.  God may have to slap him over the head with a 2x4 again and again.  But, in spite of Abram, God still kept His promises.  You might even say that it was God’s promises that kept everything going in Abram’s life.  In fact, God’s promises that make things happen.

Abram wasn’t a different kind of person than you are; He had faith in a faithful God.  He didn’t dig up the faith to believe what God promised; it was God’s promise itself that created faith in Abram.  All the mistakes that Abram made were his own; when he is faithful it’s his faith acting.

Remember God said, “Go Now!”  God also said Go Now to Abram when He told him to take his son, the son you love, your only son, Isaac and sacrifice him on the mountain.  There’s no backing out of this one.  He’s very deliberate in carrying out God’s instructions.  Even though Isaac is the only way God’s promises are going to happen, Abram does exactly what he’s told.  Abram believe that God would stop him, or raise his son from the dead.  It’s a difference of years and years of God’s promise being active in Abram’s life.

On that first time God talked to Abram God made him 7 promises.  It’s the last one that’s most important to us.  That all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abram.  The interesting thing about is the word earth.  It’s Adama that same word as in Adam’s name.  Adam came from the Adamah.  A translation that gets the gist of the pun is Dusty came from the dust.  God’s promise to Abram was God’s promise to you and me.  We are children of Adam the one from the Adamah.  Now remember it’s God’s promise that make things happen.  It’s God’s promises that create faith.  That’s important because just like Abram we are quick to modify what God tells us to do. 

ü  He tells us to go now and make disciples and we sit on our hands… and our checkbooks.

ü  He tells us to love our neighbor and we cheat him out of his land.

ü  He tells us to pray for those who persecute us and we pray for them to “get what’s coming to them.”

St. Paul tells us

to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, (Ephesians 4:1, ESV)

That’s hardly doing that.  But we’re going about it all wrong if we try to muster up the strength to live as we’ve been called to live.  The strength doesn’t come from our own will power. Our will is so often influenced by our sinful nature.  Instead it is God promise that makes things happen.

St. Paul also talked about that.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:29, ESV)

Our faith doesn’t lie in ourselves but God’s promise to bless all the people of the earth. 

God makes that promise true in Jesus.  It is Jesus who is told Go Now! Just like Abraham.  But there is a difference.  Jesus doesn’t falter as Abram did.  Jesus didn’t falter as you and I do.  There’s a hymn by Martin Luther Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice (LSB 556. v5-8, text and music in the public domain.)  We don’t sing it too much because it very long, but right in the middle of hymn is these verses.

[God] spoke to His beloved Son:
'Tis time to have compassion.
Then go, bright Jewel of My crown,
And bring to man salvation;
From sin and sorrow set him free,
Slay bitter death for him that he
May live with Thee forever.

This Son obeyed His Father's will,
Was born of virgin mother,
And God's good pleasure to fulfill,
He came to be my Brother.
No garb of pomp or power He wore,
A servant's form, like mine, He bore,
To lead the devil captive.

To me He spake: Hold fast to Me,
I am thy Rock and Castle;
Thy Ransom I Myself will be,
For thee I strive and wrestle;
For I am with thee, I am thine,
And evermore thou shalt be Mine;
The Foe shall not divide us.

The Foe shall shed My precious blood,
Me of My life bereaving.
All this I suffer for thy good;
Be steadfast and believing.
Life shall from death the victory win,
My innocence shall bear thy sin;
So art thou blest forever.

This is God being faithful to his promise.  You see, it is God who is faithful, not me, not you, not Abram.  He promised to bless you and me through Abram and he did it in Jesus Christ.  It is that shedding of His precious blood that wipes away every part of sin in all that we do.  Back to the Epistle Lesson

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,   and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." (Romans 4:5-8, ESV)

That’s the promise, our lawless deeds are forgiven.  That means we are free to do what God commands.  That means when we do what he commands imperfectly, we are forgiven.  And when it comes to doing better?  Well, we look to God’s promise in Jesus.  We hold on to Jesus. God’s promises make things happen.  Amen.

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

Genesis.45.3-15; The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany; February 24, 2019

Genesis.45.3-15; The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany; February 24, 2019;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, Minnesota;

And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.” (Genesis 45:3–15, ESV)

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

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. C.S. Lewis

There is no doubt that forgiveness is at the center of our faith. All the creeds, the Athanasian, the Apostles, and the Nicene, place forgiveness at the very center. And our Lutheran confessions do the same. The Augsburg Confession Article IV states very clearly:

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]). (AC: I, art. iv, par. 2)

Because of the Work of Jesus Christ for us, his active and passive obedience, his life death and resurrection, his keeping all God’s commands perfectly, we have forgiveness. It is forgiveness won for all people and given freely through faith.

St. Paul especially tells us that forgiveness is needed within the family of Christ.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12–17, ESV)

Our issue as sinful human beings is that we often want to hold God’s forgiveness hostage to our own feelings and desires. We want to be in control of who is forgiven and who is not forgiven. While God has indeed given the responsibility to bind and forgive sins to the church, he expects Christians to forgive one another freely. And to speak that forgiveness out loud. The church has the responsibility to speak about forgiveness connected to faith. It effectively says, because of your public actions your faith is in question and forgiveness is connected to faith (But that’s a discussion for another time). For us, Christians, forgiveness is a way of life. You’re not allowed to say things like, “I can’t forgive you now, maybe later.” …as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. So just as we have been freely justified, we are to forgive not based on the strength, merits, or works of those who sin against us.

Let’s look at the case of Joseph. If anyone had a reason or a right to withhold forgiveness it was Joseph. He was a dreamer, and he told his dreams to his brothers and parents. His brothers hated him for his dreams that told them that he would rule over them. That hatred went so far as to plot his murder. But his oldest brother, Ruben, saved his life by suggesting that they sell him to a caravan heading for Egypt. Joseph suffered many things because of his brothers. In Potiphar’s house he was put in charge of the household. But Potiphar’s wife had eyes for him and tried to seduce him. When he refused her, she accused him of attempted rape and Potiphar through him in prison. In prison Joseph was housed with the Baker and the cupbearer of the King of Egypt. When they had dreams they couldn’t interpret, Joseph told them what the dreams meant. The baker would be hanged, and the cupbearer would be returned to Pharaoh’s service. The cupbearer promptly forgot Joseph’s interpretation. Joseph spent two more years in prison, before the cupbearer remembered what Joseph had done for him. When Pharaoh had a dream he couldn’t interpret the cupbearer brought Joseph’s gift to the attention of Pharaoh. Joseph was brought before him and interpreted the dream. Its meaning was that there would be seven years of feast, and seven years of famine. Pharaoh believe Joseph and put him in charge of preparing for the famine. All these things showed God’s hand in Joseph’s slavery. And yet, he was still a slave sold by his brothers. Of course, they thought he was dead. So, when they came to Egypt in search of food during the famine, they didn’t expect to find Joseph in charge.

Now the dreams that Joseph told to his brothers before they sold him had come to be true. He was in control of all that would happen to them. He could have had them killed. But instead he vows to take care of them during the famine. They would come to Egypt and be protected under his authority. Their families would be protected and live in the best land of Egypt. Joseph’s words tell of his forgiveness:

And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 45:5–8, ESV)

But even more telling is what happens later when Jacob died. All the time that they were in Egypt the brothers feared Joseph’s retaliation. They believed Joseph’s anger was still, while their father was still alive. They come before Joseph pleading forgiveness.

But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” (Genesis 50:19–21, ESV)

“… Am I in the place of God?” Joseph reveals his understanding of forgiveness.

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;” (Luke 6:37, ESV)

He forgives his brothers great sin of plotting his death and selling him into slavery. Just as he was forgiven his great sin. His arrogance and pride when he told his brothers and his parents how he would be ruler over them and is great many sins since. God had forgiven him, he could do no less for them.

Joseph understood that forgiveness came from God. He was forgiven freely through faith. Forgiveness flowed freely from God through him freely to his brothers. He did not deserve forgiveness neither did they. But that is the nature of God’s forgiveness. He gives it freely without any merit or worthiness on our part.

For our part, we are required to do the same. Our forgiveness flows freely from Christ on the cross. Our sin is that we want to withhold that forgiveness from other people. We want to receive forgiveness but withhold that same forgiveness from those who sin against us until they show their repentance. We want them to be worthy of the forgiveness we offer. In this, we show our lack of understanding of what forgiveness is. We measure our sin as small and forgivable, but the forgiveness of those who sin against us as large and unforgivable. We place ourselves in the place of God by judging faith. But it is God alone who judges faith in the heart. We go by public confession of faith. We offer forgiveness freely to those who confess faith in Christ.

So, what do we do when we don’t feel forgiving? Well, we don’t go to, “I can’t forgive you now, maybe later.” Instead we offer the peace that comes with forgiveness. We declared God’s forgiveness won by Jesus Christ on the cross to our fellow Christians. It might go like this, “God forgives you your sin on the cross. I’m having trouble with that forgiveness but that is my sin.” And then we turn to Christ, confessing our sin to him. And the Holy Spirit will bring us comfort that that sin also is forgiven. And over time our feelings of unforgiveness will fade and evaporate. And we too will know the peace that comes from forgiveness. Amen.

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