15th Sunday after Pentecost, August 28, 2005, Matt.

Pentecost 15, August 28, 2005St. John’s, Burt ~ Our Savior, Swea City (Matthew 16:21-26, ESV)

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

Do you remember the Gospel lesson from last week? (Matthew 16:13-20) I’ll remind you just in case you’ve forgotten. In it Jesus asked a very important question of His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples answered with a dizzying array of answers, from John the Baptizer resurrected to a prophet returned. You see, people knew Jesus was something special. They just didn’t quite know what label to give Him; they just didn’t know what box to put Him in. They had seen Him to many wonderful things; they knew He was at least as special as John the Baptizer or the old prophet Elijah. But their answers fell short of the truth. Then Jesus turned to the Disciples. “What about you? Who do you say that I am?” And Peter speaking for the twelve answers correctly, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It is an answer full of conviction, full of power. Peter couldn’t have answered any better than he did. Jesus is all that; the Christ who comes to save His people from their sins; the Son of God; Second Person of the Trinity; God and man united together to make God’s promises come true. That is all in what Peter answered. He couldn’t have said it better and Jesus commends Peter and tells him that he is blessed, because God has revealed this fact to him. “It’s not an answer you’d come up with on your own, but God gave it to you through the Holy Spirit.”

And that brings us to today’s Gospel lesson where The Lord seems to take back all the complements He gave to Peter by calling him “Satan.” But before we talk about that I’d like to dwell on that question that Jesus asked the Disciples for just a moment. “Who do you say that I am?” You know the Church of Jesus has taken that question very seriously. The martyrs of the church shed their blood in answer to that question. Volumes and volumes have been written over centuries and centuries just to answer to that question. That’s because the answer to that questions is critical to who we are and exactly what we are doing in this place. Every part of our worship service breaths the answer… speaking nothing less than the answer Peter spoke to Jesus face. We believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God. We could spend the next few hours unpacking the words that Peter spoke and showing how they are reflected in the words we speak here. But for the sake of time I’ll direct you to something we just did. Open up your Hymnal Supplement to page 9 / to page 166 and look what’s there. The Nicene Creed. That is the answer to Jesus question. It was written by our brothers and sisters in Christ many years ago to give that answer. It was written specifically in response to what others were saying about who Jesus is. And it still speaks in the same way today. False teachers say that Jesus isn’t God; the Creed answers that He is. Others say that He isn’t equal to the Father; the Creed answers He is. Modern minds say that no one can be born of a virgin; the Creed confesses that Jesus was. Point for point the Creed faithfully confesses Jesus by telling us who He is and what He has done for us. When we speak it we answer Jesus question, “Who do you say that I am?”

It has become very popular in the churches today to set aside the Creeds in an attempt to be more relevant. But without declaring Jesus for who He is clearly and completely we have nothing to give the world. Without declaring Jesus for who He is we aren’t relevant to people’s real needs. We are trying to tell God what kind of a God He should be instead of letting Him be the God who offers forgiveness of sins through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Son. Here in this church we confess the creeds because Jesus asks us the question, “Who do you say that I am?” and we want to confess faithfully just as Peter did.

Now it is true that Peter answered clearly about Jesus. And Jesus commends him for it. But only a few lines later you see Jesus calling Peter “Satan.” It’s quite a contrast. I wonder just how Peter could go from getting it so right to getting it so wrong. How does he go from the high of “Blessed are you…” to the low of “Get behind me Satan…?”

Well the thing is that Peter is a normal human being. He’s just like you and me and that comes out very clearly in this text. Just as you and I do, He confesses Christ rightly according to what God has revealed to him through the Holy Spirit. And then he showed that he had no real idea about what that really meant. What he does is turn around and confess from his own heart about what he thinks it means that Jesus is the Christ, and that’s where he gets it all wrong. He was ok with Jesus being “The Christ” in the after glow of Jesus feeding 5000 people with a few small loaves of bread. It was when Jesus told him what being the Christ really meant that Peter didn’t like what he was hearing. When Jesus said that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. Peter couldn’t take that. He said, “No way is that going to happen to you… at least not while I’m alive!”; “Jesus, it’s alright that you are the Christ and all, but you are mistaken about what that all means. You don’t have to die. You don’t have to suffer. You just keep on doing all the great stuff you’ve been doing; Feeding thousands out of nothing, healing the sick, casting out demons, and such. All of that is much too valuable to end. Just forget about that suffering and dying business. We don’t need that from you anyway.”

I just can’t help but see myself thinking and speaking just like Peter. Isn’t that were Peter sounds just like you too? When he tells God what kind of a God He should be doesn’t he sound just like you and me? We love to tell the Christmas story about God the cuddly innocent baby, “God came for you at Christmas!” It’s much harder to speak about a bloody Christ crucified for the sins of the world. We avoid telling people about their sin, out of some mistaken notion that we are not to judge. God commands us to confront sin with His law, and comfort sinners with the Good News that Christ died on the cross to forgive their sin. We also want to tell God what He should do for us in the rest of our lives, too. God, you should heal me so I can get back to my regular life, I won’t forget it if you do. God, you should make a big miracle in my life (like the Lottery). If you did that my faith in you would be stronger. God, you make gas prices go down and I’ll give more to the church. God, I’ll let you take care of the hard stuff in my life, you take away my pain, you deal with my enemies, you answer all grand wishes and desires, and I’ll take care of everything else. I’ll deal with my life from day to day on my own. I’ll handle my money. I’ll keep company with the people I want to hang out with and I’ll get around to mentioning you only when it’s comfortable for me to do it. God, You give me the “good stuff” and keep it comin’. That pain and suffering, you just let that go right on past me, I don’t need it. And if that’s what you want to bring in to my life, I don’t need you, either.”

And the real problem with this attitude, and let’s be frank and honest about it, we all have this attitude at one time or another, is that we set ourselves over God. We think we know what’s good for us. We think we know what kind of a God we need. Well, Jesus doesn’t let that mistake notion stand. He is the God who suffers and dies for our sins. He is the God who knows what’s best for your life, and he gives it even if it makes you and I uncomfortable.

I think this attitude comes out very clearly and very dangerously when we give the impression that Christians have life easy, as if to say, “All you have to do is be a Christian and life will be easy, life will be good. If you are faithful to God he will make you rich!” Well, I think Peter would have something to say about that. After all, after being a faithful disciple of Jesus and proclaiming the Good News about Jesus at every chance he got, he was crucified upside down, for entertainment. God didn’t spare him pain and suffering. God didn’t make him rich. He died for the sake of his confession… the confession that we make here every Sunday. “You, Jesus, are the Christ the Son of the Living God!”

Thanks be to God, Jesus isn’t the kind of God we want, He’s the kind of God we need. That’s also something we confess in answer to Jesus’ question. When we would have rather lived life running headlong for hell He reached out and saved us from it. When we would have rather lived in the cesspool of our own sins He dragged us out and washed us clean. When we would have rather followed our own sinful desires and wishes, He killed our sinful nature on the cross. And when we would have rather been dead to God, living for ourselves and our appetite, He raised us up to a new life again in Him. Our God, Jesus Christ, is the God who knows what we need. He isn’t about giving us just what we want. He isn’t about taking care of just the stuff we can’t handle. Without God we can’t handle anything. He is about being the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

I know. You can go to any number of churches around the county and hear that if you are faithful to Jesus, He promises to give you a healthy and happy life. If you just love Jesus, He’ll make your life easy breezy. I will make you no such promises. God makes you no such promises. There is no better proof of that than the thousands and thousands of people who faced death rather than give up a faithful confession of Jesus. This is what I will tell you. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He comes to you in His Word and Sacraments to bring you forgiveness of sin. Through the promise of forgiveness of sins given to you in Baptism, through the promise of forgiveness of sins that He gives you in His Body and Blood, He gives you eternal life. He is not willing that you should lose your eternal life with Him for the sake of gaining the whole world.

Now, just so you don’t think I’m saying that your life is going to be all suffering and trouble… There will be joy in your life too. Really we handle the joy the same way we handle the sorrow. By confessing who God is through Jesus Christ. As Peter confessed, as our brothers and sisters in Christ have confessed over the many years, so you and I confess in good times and in bad, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Amen.

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

14th Sunday after Pentecost, Exodus 6:2-8, Aug 21, 2005

Pentecost 14 Exodus 6:2-8, ESV
“Hello, it’s me!”

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

It had been a long day at work and it was getting dark. But, I walked quickly to my car and headed for the hotel room. I was anxious to get there. The drive was only a few minutes and soon I was unlocking the door. Quickly, I entered the room and sat on the bed. I popped of my shoes and picked up the telephone receiver. “Hello,” I said to the Operator, “I’d like to place a credit card call.” That was life before I was a Pastor, life before the Seminary. My work took me to many cities all across the country, cities in California, Pennsylvania and Florida. I would be on the road two weeks out of every three. One think I looked forward to, was my daily phone call home. I couldn’t be home, but I could somehow still participate in the day’s activities, at least a little bit. I heard the phone ringing, “One… two… “, I counted. ”I hope she is home”, I said to myself. “Click”, went the phone when she answered. “Hello.” She said. “Hello, “ I replied, “it’s me...” That was all that was required and my wife knew who was calling. She knew it was “me”, her husband, currently residing in a hotel halfway across the country. She knew because I had made habit of calling. She knew because we had built a life together, and cared about what was going on with each other, even half way across the country. “Hello, it’s me” was enough to recognize the relationship that was there between us, even though many miles separated us.

Moses got a call like this one in our text today. He had been sent by God to bring the people out of Egypt. He had gone to Pharaoh and asked for the Israelites release. Pharaoh was not cooperating.

Instead of releasing the Israelites, he had given them more work to do. The Israelites complained to Moses, saying that it was his fault. They were saying that Moses had given Pharaoh a sword to kill them. Moses turned to God, “Why have you done this, Lord?” he said. God gave Moses a reply that was more like an introduction. It was a declaration of how to recognize God by what he had done in the past, and by what He was about to do. “Hello Moses, it’s me.” God replied. “It’s me, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It’s me, the God who promised them a land to call their own. It’s me, the God who made a covenant with them. It’s me, who is remembering that covenant right now.” God was telling Moses, that everything was under control; everything was proceeding according to God’s plan. It was a plan that would leave no doubt to who was God. It was a plan that would be remembered from generation to generation as an example of God’s loving rescue of his people.

Moses marveled at what God told him. Not only would he bring them out from under the control of the Egyptians, their slavery would be abolished, but it would be done in a way that showed God’s power. They would be rescued with an “outstretched arm” and by “mighty acts of judgment.” They would be rescued in a way that would identify God as the rescuer. Moses didn’t know the form they would take, but Pharaoh’s Egypt would be the target of these judgments. The judgments came, plague upon plague, bloody water, frogs, locust and lice. After each there was Pharaoh’s attempt to match, and Pharaoh’s unwillingness to do what God demanded. Each plague attacked one of Egypt’s gods. Each plague was a little bit harsher than the one before. The final plague stuck at Pharaoh himself, the most visible of Egypt’s gods. He was left a broken man, mourning the loss of his son. Through the plagues God made a release for the Children of Abraham, and they were allowed to leave. The outstretched hand of the God who said, “Hello, it’s me” had won them freedom from slavery.

It all happened just as Moses was told. But there was still more, God’s plan called for an even greater thing. He was going to have an adoption. The Israelites would now be God’s own people. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. “And then you will know,” continued God, “you will know that it’s me.” The newly adopted Children of God would march out of Egypt, and they would be lead to the land promised to Abraham. The time to fulfill the long awaited promise was now at hand. Moses and God’s people knew who had delivered them. They knew that their savior was God.

Some years later, on the dusty roads of Galilee, walked a carpenter, followed by twelve ragtag disciples. He was causing quite a stir. This man was also saying he could be identified by his actions. He too, had been sent to rescue the people from their slavery. He said he could be recognized by what he did, what he was doing and what he was about to do. “Hello, it’s me, the one who makes the blind see and the deaf hear. It’s me, the one who heals the sick. It’s me, the one who give “living water” to thirsty people. It’s me, who is remembering God’s promises right now.” The disciples scratched their heads, confused and disoriented. But, Jesus assured them everything was under control; everything was proceeding according to God’s plan. It was a plan that would leave no doubt as to who God was. It was a plan that would be remembered from generation to generation as an example of God’s loving rescue of his people.

The disciples marveled. Jesus rescues them from slavery, from the slavery of sin. He dies it in a way that would show the mercy of God. Jesus said, “Hello, it’s me, the one who rescues you with outstretched arms. It’s me, who takes the judgments you deserve, upon myself. It’s me, who dies here on this cross for you.” Jesus rescues in a way that show that God is the rescuer. His death on that cross broke the bonds of sin on God’s people. His resurrection broke the power of sin forever. Sin kills, but Jesus makes a resurrection that is ours. Sin and death are vanquished, and the Children of God were allowed to live. The outstretched arms of the God who said, “It’s me” has won freedom from sin and death.

And there was more. God’s plan called for an adoption. “I am going to my Father to prepare a place for you. I will return to take you home. And then the whole earth will know,” continued Jesus, “that it’s me.” Go and make disciples of all nations…,” he said. And the newly adopted children of God marched out and filled the earth with the Good News that people could know God through Jesus Christ. The time for the fulfillment of the age-old promise was at hand. The disciples knew who had saved them. The disciples knew that Jesus was God.

God is introducing himself again here in this place today. If you listen you can hear him say it again. “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Hello, it’s me. I have come to be with you.” His presence assures us that the rescue he won so many years ago is our rescue also. When sin makes us slaves, when we feel powerless to break its hold on us, when we confess, “that by nature we are sinful and unclean…” We come here to listen and hear Christ’s forgiveness pronounced through the lips of his servant, “I forgive you. In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” And God says again “Hello, it’s me.” We approach his table, prepared in this place. “Hello, it’s me.” Our Lord says again, “Given for you for the forgiveness of your sins. This is my body. It’s me. This is my Blood. It’s me.” This is God again assuring us that everything is under control. Everything is proceeding according to God’s plan. He makes sure we have not doubt about who God is and what He does for us. In this plan there is no doubt about who God is. He frees us from sin in a way that shows us his loving kindness. It is a plan that we remember and tell our children and they tell their children. It is an example of God’s loving rescue of his people.

And there is more. We are God’s children through and adoption. He speaks to us in the same way he spoke the Israelites in Egypt. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burden of [sin]. Our adoption is sealed with water and God’s Word. “Hello, my newly adopted child, I baptize you in my name, in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Hello, it’s me.” And right there God makes a promise to be with you. He promises that no matter what happens in your life, weather it seems good or bad, weather it is pain pleasure, it is all for your benefit… all to draw you closer to himself. And he even places you in a family of other adopted children. Just look around you see your adopted brothers and sisters. You can see the loving kindness of God sitting right next to you. These are God’s hands, feet, and voices for you. These are the ways God cares for and encourages you. You are how God cares for and encourages them. “Hello, it’s me.” God says through you.

God’s greeting is for us, but it isn’t just for us. God wants to be known by all people. There are many who are still groaning under the burden and slavery of their sin. He has done all that is necessary for them to be set free. Christ sends his “Hello, it’s me” through you. As you live and work God gives you the opportunities to speak about God’s salvation through Jesus. He wants you to speak God’s introduction through your words and actions. He doesn’t expect you to save them. He’s already done that. All you have to do is bring His greeting to them. “Hello, it’s me. I have rescued you with my outstretched arms.” Through God’s Word, through the story about what He has done to rescue them, they’ll know its God who can and will save them, too. Amen.

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

13th Sunday after Pentecost, Matt 15:21-28, Aug 13, 2005

Pentecost 13, August 13, 2005

St. John’s, Burt ~ Our Savior, Swea City

Matthew 15:21-28, ESV

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

“Great is your faith!” That’s what Jesus says about this Canaanite woman. It’s pretty amazing, considering that at first he doesn’t even listen to her. There she is crying out again and again, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” Have mercy on me… Have mercy on me… But [Jesus] didn’t answer her a word. Nothing at all. Not a peep… not a whisper… nothing at all. In fact, you might infer from the way that Matthew, the Gospel writer puts it, that Jesus flat out ignored her. But she’s persistent in her plea for help, so much so, that the disciples get tired of it. “Get rid of her. Tell her to go home. Remind her that she’s not worthy. Send her away, for she is crying out after us. If it doesn’t bother you, Jesus, we’re telling you now that she bugging the heck out of us.

It’s pretty clear what the disciples though of her. She was and outsider. Not a member of Club Jesus. She was outside the loop. A dirty beggar looking for a free handout. One of those folks that just take what you give for free and abuse it. If she gets a handout today, I’ll bet you’d find her buying cigarettes or beer tomorrow. She doesn’t even know how to keep quiet in church. Her kids were probably ill behaved, too. Can’t you see the looks she must have been getting? You know the ones. They say, “Hey, can’t you keep quiet, I can’t hear what Jesus is saying… to me. I can’t concentrate on Jesus with all your bellyaching.” Well, the disciples were just being human. They are reacting just as you and I react all the time. We are very careful in helping, or as the woman was asking, “showing mercy.” We like to hold back until we see a sign that the help we offer will be received correctly. We like to hold back until we see a sign that it will be received by a person who is worthy of our help. We hold back our real welcome until “unacceptable” behavior changes. After all we don’t want to be taken advantage of. We don’t want to be enable rotten behavior. But most of all we don’t want to act in any way that would give anyone the impression that we don’t value money. After all there’s nothing worse than wasting money on people who don’t deserve help. There is no greater sin than being over generous.

Well, maybe the disciples were taking their queue from Jesus. After all, he didn’t say anything to her. He didn’t encourage her. He didn’t rebuke her and tell her to be quiet. Nothing. So, the disciples must have thought that he was agreeing with the way they felt. They must have thought that all Jesus needed was a little nudging to get rid of the annoyance, so that they could all get back to the important business at hand… so that everything could get back to normal… without rude interruption. “Send her away…” they said to Jesus.

[Jesus] answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Those words might have set the disciples faces to grins. They might have even been thinking about turning to the woman and giving her the brush off. For once, something Jesus said seemed to agree with the way they were thinking. Instead of the phrase, “you of little faith…” Instead of feeling lost and confused, Jesus seemed to agree with what they thought. For once they were right, they thought. There was no place for this woman in their crowd. There was no place for this “non-jewish” woman among them. Her problems were hers to deal with. They had more important things to do. But the woman wasn’t about to cooperate. She took one last stab a Jesus’ attention. She pushed through the disciples to get to Jesus and fell at his feet, shouting, “Lord, help me!”

The next words Jesus speaks just don’t feel right. It’s not the kind of response to a hurting person that we expect from Jesus. We might scratch our heads in wonder, because the words seem callous… almost rude. It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. How could the man who let people touch the tassels of his robe to be healed say such a thing to a needy person? How could the man who restored a man’s withered hand begrudge this woman what she sought? How could the one who said, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28, ESV) Turn this woman away.

But the woman’s response is also just as unexpected. Her response is really at the heart of what’s going on here. Her response opens up her heart and shows us what’s inside. “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” At first look you might think that she’s disagreeing with what Jesus says. Especially the way it’s usually translated. “Yes, Lord, yet…” or “Yes, Lord, but…” But she’s what she’s saying is really more like “Of course not, Lord, the dogs get their own food from the scraps that fall from the table. The children are taken care of but so are the dogs. Each in a way that is appropriate. Think about the dog lover who drops food to the floor for the dog. The dogs aren’t neglected. They receive what’s left over from the table.

So what’s so great about what she says? What’s so profound? What’s so exceptional about the faith she expresses here? Well, this woman, this outsider, this gentile, is absolutely convinced that Jesus has something for her. She is sure that Jesus isn’t just for the disciples. She is sure that Jesus will help her. She shows it in her persistence. She shows it in her words. Her faith isn’t in her ability to speak to Jesus. It isn’t in the disciples. She has faith in Jesus. He is the one, the only one, who can save. Great faith is great not because of the one with faith but because of the object of that faith. She sees Jesus clearly as one who can and will help. She sees Jesus for who he really is… just as she spoke earlier, “O Lord, Son of David…” words that say she recognizes Jesus as the promised Savior of the Jews, but also as her promised Savior. The author of Hebrews says it like this, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, ESV)

“O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. Jesus heals the daughter. But don’t think of what Jesus does as a reward for the woman’s “Great faith.” It is nothing less than she expects from Jesus. Jesus heals because he is gracious. Jesus heals because he has mercy. Jesus heals to show that faith in him is well placed. He speaks his words of praise to her for the sake of the others who were listening. The disciples would have sent her away, like we might have done, too. It was Peter who rightly spoke that he wouldn’t leave Jesus because he had the words of eternal life. Yet, he expected this woman to be forced away. Faith held her there, faith in God through Jesus Christ. She would not be sent away.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2, ESV)

Jesus demonstrates his exceptional mercy in action. He demonstrated it through the healing of the woman’s daughter… but he demonstrated it even more clearly at the cross. It was because his cries for mercy there went unanswered that God hears our cries for mercy now. God, the Father, turned his back on his only begotten son on the cross. It is the rejection that we should experience. It is the punishment that should be ours for disregarding the law of God. It is the punishment we earn for our unwillingness to give help where help is needed simply because we think it won’t be appreciated, or properly received. We should be sent away, outsiders from God, no better than that woman from Canaan. But, we too, know what she knew. Jesus is for us. Because of Jesus death and resurrection, we are gathered to God. It isn’t because we are worthy, quite the contrary we are wholly unworthy. It’s because we have faith in Jesus to be for us exactly what he promises to be, and to do for us exactly what he promise to do.

Martin Luther once said, “Faith clings to the Word in the heart and does not doubt the Word.” What he means is this:

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true. (Luther’s Small Catechism, The Creed)

That’s the great faith that Jesus is talking about. The faith that the Canaanite woman had, believing that Jesus was for her. That’s what we believe too. Jesus for me, Jesus for you. Amen.

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

12th Sunday After Pentecost, Matt 14:22-33, Aug 7, 2005

Matt.14.22-33

Pentecost 12, Aug 7, 2005

St. John’s, Burt ~ Our Savior, Swea City

Matt 14:22-33

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

Now I don’t know about you, but you wouldn’t find me walking on the water in the middle of a deep lake. I like to fish, I like boats, but I’ve always been uncomfortable out there on the water. You see, I don’t swim. Oh, I took swimming lessons when I was young, but they didn’t seem to take. Swimming seems, well, just a little unnatural. I kind of feel like those who talk about skydiving, “Why would you what to step out of a perfectly good airplane.” “Why would you want to step out of a perfectly good boat?” That’s what Peter does. He steps out of a perfectly good boat and expects to walk on top of the water. As I like to say, “not this little grey duck.”

But that is exactly what Peter does. Not that it’s more amazing than what Jesus has done. Peter takes a few steps and sinks like I would. Jesus has treaded out to the middle of the lake against the wind and the waves. The Sea of Galilee is 7-12 miles wide and the text tells us that the boat was ‘many stadia from shore’ probably a mile or more. Jesus walks out there as if it’s a walk in the park. And if you still think that’s not much, just look at the disciple’s reaction, “when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" I’d also like you to take note of the fact that they weren’t afraid before they saw the “ghost” on the water. There’s not great big storm threatening to drown them. “They were beaten by waves because the wind was against them.” The going is tough, they weren’t making good time in the crossing, it was the middle of the night (3 am), and they were dead tired. The last thing they expected to see was a person walking on the water. When they saw that they were overcome by fear. Well, and who wouldn’t be? They didn’t know who it was. They weren’t thinking about Jesus, they were thinking about getting across the lake. Out there on the waves, in the dark of night, the disciple’s faith wavered. That’s what happens when we lose sight of who Jesus is.

Peter, nicknamed the Rock, sank like a stone. At his first steps everything was ok. He was kicking out on the water, eyes on Jesus, doing what Jesus was doing, by invitation. But the wind driven waves were more than he could ignore. Maybe one lapped up a little farther than he was comfortable with. In the end it was fear that gripped him, out on the waves his faith wavered, and down he went. He shouts the shortest prayer known to man. “Lord, save me!” Jesus reached out his hand and saved him. When the man was a goner, Jesus rescued him from death. When it was all over, when Jesus carried Peter back to the boat and the wind made is miraculous stop, the disciples knew something they didn’t know before, something they’d forgotten. They knew Jesus for who he was. They fell down and worshipped him, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

What kind of waves case your faith to waver? What waves make it tough to keep going? It’s easy to forget about Jesus and who he is when things get hard, isn’t it? We just look to getting through the trouble, putting it all behind us. We focus on the shore instead of looking for Jesus in the midst of our troubles. When the waves push against us our faith might waver.

When money runs short we panic and look for an easy way out. More money must be the answer. The waves make our faith waver and we are afraid because we don’t see Jesus at work there, pushing us to depend on him in all things, wanting us to trust him, to look for him, even in our finances. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6, ESV)

And whose faith is strong enough to hold even when facing death? And yet Jesus comes to us especially then. Cancer kills. God doesn’t always take it away. The introit today speaks to us about being afraid when we waver. I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4, ESV) At times like these we don’t have to go it alone, Jesus comes to us and deals with our fear.

It’s easy to forget that Jesus has his own purposes in mind for our church. Especially as all around us age old churches close, and we are afraid that it means our turn is coming. It is tough going, so much seems to be against us, we want to dig in and just make it to the shore, and just keep the doors open one more year. The fear comes from forgetting about who Jesus is and why we are here. It’s easy to forget about Jesus… we are tempted to try anything try anything to ward off the fear, change what’s most important about who we are, set aside what we believe to be more appealing… But we are here as a church because of Him. We aren’t here so that we have special social events to attend. We aren’t here just to maintain this building, and keep it open until we die. We aren’t even here to provide income to a pastor. We are here to focus on Jesus. We are here to bring Him and His Word to bear in this community. We will be successful in that only through faith in Jesus. If we turn out attention from Jesus, if we fail to see Jesus at the heart of all we do, we’ll be just like the disciples were, afraid and bound to fail.

Jesus doesn’t leave us to go it alone, just like he didn’t leave the disciples to go it alone. He comes to us and reminds us who he is and what he has done for us. Out there on the sea He walked on water. Jesus comes to us in water. Just think of the hundreds of times He’s made promises to our children right here at this font. And remember he made those same promises to you. In the Small Catechism Martin Luther placed prayers for morning and evening. At the start of each he reminds us of our baptism and says, In the morning/evening when you get up/go to bed, make the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. A literal translation says God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, watch over me. When we are reminded of our baptism it’s like Jesus saying to us, Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. He has come to us and claimed us as His own by placing His name on us.

Jesus comes to us in wonderful words of encouragement, too. His Word brings Him to us even in our fear. It’s echoed in the hymns we sing:

Evening and morning, sunset and dawning,

Wealth, peace and gladness,

Comfort in sadness;

These are your works and bring glory to you. (LW 419)

And He even comes to us in His body and blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins. All of this he does to remind us who he is, and what he has done.

You remember how Jesus reached out his hand to save Peter. Jesus saved us when we were goners. When our sins weigh us down and we feel like we are far from God trying to go it alone sinking like a stone, Jesus reaches out his hand to save us. We cry out that simple prayer that means, “Jesus, forgive me for my doubts and fears.” “Lord, have mercy!” Forgive me and save me. He does. And not because our faith is so strong, but because he is who he is. This Jesus who saves us through his innocent suffering and death and his holy and precious blood shed for us on the cross. He gave himself to free us from sin and and death and fear.

We can count on him because… well he’s the one who walks on water. The disciples reacted by saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” We say it like this: very God of very God…

who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven

and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man;

and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered and was buried.

And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures

and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.

And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,

whose kingdom will have no end. (Nicene Creed)

I could say to you, “keep your eyes on Jesus and he’ll calm the storms of your life.” But the truth is Jesus isn’t going to calm all the storms. He invites you to look for him to come to you when then the waves cause you to waver. He invites you to see him for who he is, especially when you are sinking. He wants you to know him as God, who will never leave you or forsake you, even when the going gets tough. He wants you to place your faith in Him and what He has done and continues to do for you. Amen.

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

10th Sunday after Pentecost, Matt 13:44-52, July 24, 2005

10th Sunday after Pentecost, Matt 13:44-52, July 24, 2005

(Matthew 13:44-52, ESV)

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

Have you ever been excited about something that valuable? Just think about that guy there in the parables, weather we’re talking about the treasure chest or the pearl, when he found that thing of great value he sells “all that he has.” Jesus says that that’s what the kingdom of heaven is like… and I wonder exactly what he means. How do we figure out this parable?

I was going to bring a string of pearls my wife has, a string that I bought her when I was a computer consultant, and had money to buy such things. I decided better than to even ask. Those pearls are pretty valuable to her. She didn’t sell everything she had to get them. Neither did I. But if we had to sell some of our stuff those pearls would be toward the end of the stuff we’d sell. You’re not going to find them at the “Burt Days” garage sale. So, we value them highly.

You’ve all got things that you value very highly. The funny thing is that what’s valuable to you isn’t necessarily valuable to anyone else. “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” These things that we value have value for different reasons. The other night I saw on PBS the Red Green show. The gist of the show was that The Antiques Road Show was visiting town and everyone was taking their prize possessions to see what they were worth. One of the characters, Harold, was taking a small ceramic doll that turned out to be worth some thousand dollars. Red, the main character, took his father’s fishing basket. It was tattered, and patched with “the handyman’s secret weapon,” duct tape. Red said it was the most valuable thing he owned. The Road Show disagreed. They said it was just junk. “What do they know, anyway?” was Red’s reply.

Jesus tells us a story about value, it goes something like this:

My name is John; I’m going to tell you a story about myself. I wasn’t always wealthy. In fact at one time I was just an average person with an average income. But everything changed for me one day. You wouldn’t believe my luck. I was looking all around for a small parcel of land to buy and sell on speculation. It was something I did to help me make ends meet. As I was looking at one particular piece of land I noticed a bump of ground seemed out of place… so I dug. What I found was beyond my dreams. A treasure. It wasn’t just a few thousand dollars either, but a fortune, enough that I’d never have to work again. It was there in the land and mine for the taking. But how to do it to assure that it would all be mine. I made a plan. I re-buried it and made sure the place looked as if no one had been there for years, just as it was before. Then I rushed home and sold all that I had. And when I say all I mean everything. Pots and pans, blankets clothes, beds, house and home. I had to raise enough money to be sure that I could get the land. It was worth the risk. Everything I owned was not as valuable as what I had found in the field. It was hard work to close the deal but in the end that’s what I did. The price I paid was worth it. And now I’m reaping the profits of my labors.

Jesus story can make us ask the question “What would you give for a treasure?” Or maybe even the more important question, “What kind of treasure would be worth giving up everything?” Well, Jesus doesn’t tell little stories for the fun of it, he wants us to struggle with questions like these. And even more specifically, He wants us to think about those questions in terms of the “Kingdom of Heaven.” When ever Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven, he’s not just talking about where we go when we die. He’s talking about having forgiveness of our sins. He’s talking about living life as is that forgiveness makes a difference. He’s talking about having faith in Jesus and all that he did for you, and living in a way that shows it. And that’s exactly where the parable really gets us where it counts. I don’t know any of you who haven’t at one time or another taken your faith and Christ’s church for granted. I know it’s true because I’m guilty of it, too. Who among of us hasn’t just gone through the motions on Sunday morning, acting as if all that God does for us in this place, and especially the forgiveness of sins is no big deal? And even acted as if the forgiveness that Christ gives us here is something we’ve earned? “God can forgive my little sins because I’ve not been so bad this week.” Who among us hasn’t begrudged the collection plate and the check we’ve put in it? We’ve all been reluctant to sacrifice to help the spread of the gospel. We’ve all held our tongues at times when we knew we should speak for fear of criticism or ridicule. And haven’t we been selective about who we want to belong to “our church?” The man in the parable gave everything he had for the most valuable treasure he had ever seen. We have the treasure of Jesus Christ, and we don’t even want to part with a few dollars or a little personal time to nourish it. Doesn’t that kind of make you wonder if you really have the treasure at all? The man in the story I told had the treasure and couldn’t wait to tell you how he got it. That’s not how we act all the time is it?

I think this is the most common understanding of the parable. “Salvation is the great treasure; you should be willing to give up everything you have to attain it. You should be willing to give up anything you have to hang on to it.” I wonder though how much would be enough? Is 10% of your income enough? If you faithfully tithe is that an indication of the value of your treasure? Most people don’t even give that much. So if you give that you must value it more than they do, right? But if 10% is good isn’t 20% better? The man in the parable gave up everything. Doesn’t that mean that you need to sell the farm, quit your job and go to a monastery, become a missionary, go to the Seminary? Well the truth is that no matter how much you value salvation you can’t give enough to earn it. Sin shuts you out from it. Even if you offer your life it’s not enough. You can’t give enough to match its value. Your sin condemns you to separation from God forever. And if you want the indication of just how sin is true in your life, just ask the question the parable asks: When was the last time I took my faith for granted, or acted as if it was not important at all? When was the last time you acted as if church (and here I’m not talking about the building, or the budget, or even the social events here, but the fact that this is the place that God uses to give you forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.)

Well, that’s what comes of interpreting the parable wrong. That’s what comes with putting ourselves at the middle of the attention, again. That’s the strongest indicator of the depth of our sin. We always want the story to be about us. This parable isn’t really about us, in the sense of telling us what we need to do. That puts us at the center. This parable is telling us what God does, more specifically Jesus.

You know how always say that Christ is the center of everything we do and talk about here? Well here’s a classic example. When you what to interpret this parable put Jesus in it instead of yourself. Make Jesus the man who gives up everything for a treasure beyond value. When you do that it all comes into proper focus. In fact, when you do that the parable will also tell you exactly what you have to do to get Christ.

Now it makes sense doesn’t it? Jesus, is God, he had everything, and he gave it up to be born of a poor unmarried woman. He didn’t even come into the world’s riches. “The son of man has no place to lay his head.” Jesus said. Everything was his and yet he lived as a poor man. And more importantly he died a poor man’s death, even a death reserved for the worst of criminals. He hung naked and shamed on a public road; as if he’d been strung up on one of buildings on the highway coming into town, where everyone coming and going would see him. When you think of who Jesus is, no one in history gave up more to achieve a goal, to have a treasure. Jesus has to be the man in the parable. Now I told you, not to put yourself at the center of the parable, but really in a way we should do that. Because Jesus goal was a treasure of priceless worth. All that he did he did to have you. You and I are the treasure Jesus gave up everything to have. At first it might make us feel good, but if you are honest with yourself, you’ll admit that you aren’t worth the trouble. You’re not Harold’s porcelain doll, the truth is your not even Red’s tattered fishing bag. And yet, you can see how much God values you. That’s how much God is willing to give to have you with him forever.

And what do you have to do? Well, what does the treasure do to be found? What does the treasure give up to belong to the land purchaser? What does a pearl do to end up around my wife’s neck? Nothing at all! You see, God does it all, God gives it all, God makes it happen for you through Jesus Christ. We can’t do enough good stuff to cover over the evil in our hearts. Everything we do is covered with sin. Every good work we try turns on selfishness. “Why should I do that? Because in the long run it’s good for me!” We say. That’s why the treasure seeker does it all for you. He values you beyond your value. He loves you in spite of yourself. And he gives everything, his very life, to have you as his.

What a valuable treasure you’ve been given, you are God’s valued treasure! What does that mean in your life as you live it every day? You see, everyone in this room is God’s valued treasure. Everyone on Burt is God’s valued treasure. Everyone in Iowa, the US and the whole world, in fact. That means you can reflect God’s value for them by treating them the way that God does. God takes care of you in so many different ways, you don’t have to worry about yourself, you can (and you do already) serve your neighbor. Help when help is needed. Comfort when comfort is needed and even money when that’s needed. The thing is you might miss the fact that you do it because of what God has done for you. You don’t have to give up everything to serve your neighbor and to show you value the treasure God has given you. You don’t have to sacrifice to receive the treasure of God’s Kingdom. He’s already done what’s necessary to put you in it. He’s given you faith in Christ. You are God’s treasure. Amen.

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

Funeral - Augie Bernau - 1.John.3.1-2

1.John.3.1-2

Funeral for Augie Bernau, July 13, 2005

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:1-2, NIV)

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

How great the love the Father has lavished on us… I heard Augie say that a thousand times… well not exactly in those words. He’d say something like, “I really can’t complain, I’ve had a good life.” And Indeed he has. When I read this verse from St. John’s I can’t help but think of that picture with Amelia and Roland and Augie… with those shoulder length curls! How lavish they are (although maybe not in those days). After all, according to the doctor that brought him into the world those curls belonged to a future Governor of Iowa. Well, maybe he wasn’t Governor but it seems he was just as well known. One of the relatives told me, and I’ve had some experience with this myself, as you travel around Iowa when people find out you are from Burt they will ask you if you know Augie Bernau. People loved Augie. You see, that’s also a part of that great love God had lavished on him. We could talk to about Augie’s family, his brothers and sisters, his children, grandchildren, etc., not to mention his two wives. One wife for his youth and another for his old age, they were two totally different kinds of women, two totally different kinds of love lavished on Augie by his God. Since God had so blessed Augie, he was a great blessing to everyone who knew him.

Now today we struggle with the pain of losing this much loved person. It was difficult to see him fight with death these last few weeks. It was difficult to deal with his confusion over the past several months. Augie would have given anything to be able to be home among his animals. But even in this God’s love was given to Augie through the people who where always around him to comfort him.

Now, God lavished all this love on Augie, but as much as we loved him we also know that Augie didn’t deserve the love of God. He’s no different from any of us. Just like you and me Augie had sin in his life. He got angry when he shouldn’t have gotten angry. He raised his children the best he knew how, but his parenting decisions weren’t always the best. He fought with his wives (and they fought back). All of you can come up with some event in your mind when Augie didn’t live up to God’s standards for living. Now some of you might be put out by my saying these things. We’d rather just say good things about people at funerals. But that sin in Augie’s life is the reason we are here. In fact, death is the proof of sin. The wages of sin is death. I mention all this because when you think about it, it makes that great love lavished on Augie all the more incredible; the fact that God loved Augie, in spite of his sin.

Today as we look into the face of death, as we deal with the pain of separation caused by our own sinfulness, there isn’t really any comfort at all in the worldly blessings that Augie received from the hand of God. In fact, if you want to really understand God’s love for Augie you don’t need to look at any of those blessings, you need only look at one, St. John tells us about that one blessing in the text. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! That is what Augie is, a child of God through faith in Jesus.

Augie knew Jesus. He knew about His sacrifice on the cross to bring him forgiveness. And most of all he knew that the forgiveness purchased by Christ’s precious blood was for Augie. The love of God found in the forgiveness of sins was lavished on Augie, not because he was a good person, but only because he was loved by God. Augie held onto his faith in Christ, even at the very end. A few days ago when he wasn’t responding to much else he responded with a strong “Amen.” To the Lord’s prayer. It was great to hear; it warmed our hearts and gave us comfort. But, still if we want to see the proof of Augie’s faith we don’t have to think about that event, we don’t have to hold on to Augie’s words. We can go to the one who is always faithful. We can look at the promises God made to him in Baptism. Just like we said together a few moments ago:

P In Holy Baptism name was clothed with the robe of Christ's righteousness that covered all his/her sin. St. Paul says: “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”

C We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.

You see, more that all the wonderful gifts that God gave this wonderful man through out his life, the most important is the gift of faith. How great indeed is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God!

So, family and friends of Augie Bernau; today we need comfort because we have lost a good friend. Take comfort not in anything that Augie did, but in what God has done for Augie and you and me, by lavishing His great love on us through Jesus Christ. Amen.

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

8th Sunday after Pentecost, Matt 13:1-9, July 10, 2005

Matt.13.1-9

Pentecost 8, July 10, 2005

St. John’s, Burt ~ Our Savior, Swea City

Mt 13:1-9, ESV

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

Wow this is such a familiar text… that makes it really hard to preach about. First, we’ve all heard it so much we think we know everything there is to know about it. Second, there’s the real danger of saying something that disagrees with a long held and favorite understanding. “That’s not what pastor so-and-so said it meant!” That’s the burden of a preacher. Just like the sower my job is to sow the Word.

You’ve all got some corn this morning. We’re going to talk a little bit about that in just a moment but I gave you corn because it’s obvious the seed that the farmer is sowing in the parable is corn. Who can tell me why? The clue is right there in the text… Well, it’s obviously corn because after the parable Jesus says, “He who has ears, let him hear.” I couldn’t give you all a whole ear… but he who has ears let him hear. Just hang on to that seed a little longer, we’ll get back to it.

Let’s talk a little about this parable. It’s been called the parable of the sower, or the parable of the soils. Now both of these have their merits. The seed lands on the soil and it grows according to what kind of conditions it finds there. Jesus is telling us that he casts his word out upon human beings and they react differently depending on their soil type. Originally I was going to stick the corn onto different colored pieces of paper, so that each of you would get different colors. But it didn’t seem quite right. After all I’m assuming that if you hear in church you’re here to hear God’s Word, and have it sown on you. So you must in some sense be “good soil.” We could go into a detailed description of all the kinds of soil there are. Accusing those who aren’t here of being the path or rocky or weed infested. “Shame on you!” we could say about them. But the truth is that we all have those same kinds of problems. We reject God’s Word that we hear, it just bounces off of us especially when it tells us of sinful behavior we don’t want to change. Satan comes and snatches it away, “you don’t need to worry about that little sin. God isn’t really talking to you. There are so many people who are so much worse than you are, that one little weakness doesn’t matter.” We all at times don’t have God’s Word deeply rooted. Trouble and hardship in our lives, that should push us to Christ, instead our faith withers. Instead of looking to Christ and saying that without Him we are lost, we look inside ourselves to find the strength to go on. And we all have those weed that threaten to choke out God’s Word, too. It’s so easy to get out of the habit of coming to church. Life is busy all year round not to mention our “summer schedule.” And there’s even the temptation to think that we come to church to be entertained. It’s easy to think that God’s Word by itself isn’t enough to do the job, we’ve got to make it more acceptable, by doing something flashy. All of it serves to distract us from hearing the simple message of God’s love for us in Jesus. Those weeds seem to grow up before we know it and choke out our interest in worship, and bible study, and prayer, and even a five minute devotion from Portals of Prayer. And then there’s the good soil… we’ll talk about that later. You see how it really doesn’t matter what type of soil we are. We’re really all kinds of soil. Jesus is describing where the seed of His Word falls. He’s describing human beings, just like you and me. Without faith in Jesus we’d all reject His Word. Satan’s word to us would always sound like the truth. Without faith in Jesus, we’d all get scorched by persecution and trouble. Without faith in Jesus, His Word would always be choked out of our lives.

Well, I think there’s different point being made by this parable. When we are looking at the soil, we are looking at us. Whenever we look at ourselves as the answer to any problem we’re looking in the wrong place. God doesn’t promise that you’ll have the strength to do whatever you want or need to do. He promises that He’ll give you whatever you need. When we look at ourselves, in light of the soil the best we can do is say, “Let’s be good soil!”

You farmers out there, can any one of you tell me what the dirt does to be good dirt? Can the rocky soil get rid of the rocks? Can the earth beneath the bean field zap its own weeds? Can the soil that lacks nitrogen get it on its own? Of course it can’t. But a farmer can do something about it. What did it take to make the farmland around here arable? I’ve been told many times about the hand dug tiles that drained the water. But the land couldn’t do it by itself.

I don’t think this parable is so much about the soil as it is about the Sower. In fact, one way of interpreting parables is to look for the thing that’s out of place, look for the thing that people would never do. When you find that crazy thing you’ll usually find what Jesus is saying about himself. So what’s the thing out of place here? What’s the thing that someone would never do? Let me ask you this question. What’s up with this Sower? What farmer is going to run his planter over the road? What farmer is going to through his best seed corn in the fence row? What farmer isn’t going to do something about the weeds that are growing up among the plants he planted? You see, this isn’t a proper Sower. He’s very reckless with His seed. He seems to throw it all over and He doesn’t care where it lands.

Actually, what Jesus is saying is that He, as the Sower, is very generous with the gift of His Word. He spreads it all over, without regard to where it’s going to land (I like this picture… see the sower, he’s not even looking!). His Word is for all people, those who out right reject it, those who let the concerns of the world choke it out, people who don’t take is seriously, and even those who don’t hold on to it and treasure it. You see, that’s God’s great love for all people. He wants all people to know what He has done for them in Christ. He spreads His Word high and low to all people. That’s the God we have. He loves to give and give in amounts and ways that are more than we can fathom. We see the generosity of God in Jesus. Not just that He feed people who needed food. Not just that He healed people who needed healing. But mostly that He gave His very life on the cross for sinful people. There were those who were there at the cross who mocked Him. His death was even for them. You and I are sinful people who need the generosity of Christ. Our sins and failures keep us from a relationship with God. But God tells us in the seed of His Word that Jesus blood covers our sins. And that even though we aren’t “good soil” in the sense that we can earn His love, He gives us the forgiveness we need as a free gift for the sake of Jesus.

How about a concrete example? At the very beginning of the service we confessed our sins to God. Well, He knew them all already. He knows even the ones we don’t know and the ones we keep hidden very deep in our hearts. But have you ever noticed that God’s forgiveness isn’t conditional? The Word of God that I speak to you from Christ’s lips isn’t “I forgive you some of your sins.” Or “I forgive you only the sins you know about.” Or “I forgive the sins of those of you who were in church last week.” No Jesus says through me, “I forgive you all your sins…” I’m not offering you my forgiveness. That wouldn’t mean a thing. I’m offering you Jesus forgiveness, in His own Words. You see that’s the Sower sowing the seed. It’s as if it took that corn and threw it over all of you. Not caring where it lands. Not being specific to throw it at anyone. But to everyone. That’s the reason God has given you a pastor. He wants you to hear and see God forgiving you of all your sins. He wants you to be sure that the forgiveness that Jesus accomplished on the cross covers the 2000 years of history and gets to you right here and now. So look at that corn in your hand. If you didn’t get any raise your hand now and the usher will give you some. Think of that corn there like God’s Word given to you, God’s forgiveness, just as if I’d thrown it out and hit you in the head.

I think that’s what the OT lesson is talking about too. Did you remember that phrase, “seed to the sower and bread to the eater?” (Isa 55:11) When you are hungry for forgiveness, when you are starving to hear God’s Word, when you know that you are doomed without God, He gives you the Bread that you need. He offers you forgiveness in Christ. He offers you comfort in the promises found in His Word. That’s bread to the eater. Eat the gifts of God here and be satisfied! God loves to give bread to the eater.

And there’s another thing. It’s in that “seed to the sower.” You know what God offers to you. You’ve received it today through God’s Word. Think about the Sower again. He sows all over without regard to the reaction, without regard to the reception, without regard to the fruitfulness of the soil. You see that corn in your hand, that’s for you, and it’s for you to spread around. You see, there’s plenty where that came from. God sows His seed Himself; He doesn’t need you to do it. But He gives you another gift in that Word that He gives. He gives you the gift of sharing that Word with other people. He gives you the seed to sow right where you are. Now your first thought it that you’re supposed to find people to share the Word with that don’t know Jesus. But that wouldn’t be like the Sower in the parable would it? The person right next to you needs to hear about Jesus too. They already know about the forgiveness of Jesus. But they need to hear about it again. I need to hear it again. So take one of those kernels of corn in your hand and give it to a person sitting next to you. And when you give it say, “Jesus died for you, you are forgiven.” Now take a kernel to someone across the room, and say “Jesus died for you, you are forgiven.” Wasn’t that easy? What a privilege to give the Word of God to someone who needed to hear it! Now this week you take that little pile of corn with you. Find just one person (it doesn’t matter who!) to give it to and say, “Jesus died for you, you are forgiven.” When you are helping your neighbor, given them one of those kernels. They’ll look at you funny, but you can blame it on me. Tell them that your pastor made you do it. Don’t forget to say, “He wants me to tell you, Jesus died for you, you are forgiven.” And when you are making out your offering envelope you can put one of those kernels in with your check. That’s to help you remember that the money you give to the church here is for the sowing of God’s Seed. And the money that you give to support missionaries and mission projects is God’s gift to you to sow God’s Seed. And just think, Jesus doesn’t tell you to worry about the reception of the Seed. That’s His department, that’s His worry. Some of that Seed will produce fruit and some won’t. But God promises that it won’t return “empty” but will do what God wants it to do.

Well, even if you don’t give any away… remember, “Jesus died for you, you are forgiven.” Amen.

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