Lent 1 sermon

Lent 1 Matthew 4:1-11 February 20 – 21, 2010

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The devil is a liar. You cannot have more than one god no matter how many times the he says that he does not mind. You will either worship the God of Abraham or you will worship the devil. There are no other choices. And the devil gets not just the out-and-out witches and Satanists. He gets all the undecided, all the fence-riders, all the lukewarm pretenders, all those who worship no gods, and all those who worship false gods. He wants Jesus to have bread and honor and be spared His suffering so that men would go without Jesus’ Word.

The devil says to Our Lord: “You shouldn’t have to do this. It is not your fault. When Israel was in the desert they grumbled and complained! They picked their bread and quail off the ground and hungered for cucumbers in Egypt. They are not worthy of your gifts. Look here and see. These stones could be bread for you, pleasing to the eye, good for food. You have the power and the right. Take care of yourself. Be God. Let me have the men. They’ll never bother you again. I’ll be their god. And you can bet that I won’t be going hungry in the desert! I won’t be serving them.”

But Jesus does what Adam, Moses, and Israel, what you, did not. He resists. He is tempted but He is not overcome. He does not sin. He suffers in His obedience for their disobedience and lives perfectly by His Word. The Father will provide. The Son will wait. Led into the place of temptation by the Spirit, He submits to His Father and knows hunger and shame. The Lord provides for Him not by removing the burden, but by offering Him up. He goes silently as a Lamb to the slaughter without complaint, without bread, without honor, without friend. Nothing is stored up for Him in heaven. There is no grace, no justice, no relief for Him. The Father answers the Son by sacrificing Him in order to give the Spirit to the failures who went before Him: to Adam, Moses, and Israel, and to the failures who follow: you.

The Christ goes alone to pay for sins He did not commit. He turns the other cheek. He allows them to force a crown of thorns down upon His brow, to drive nails into His hands and feet. He lets Satan do his worst; have his day; take his price - but then! Then! Then the price is paid. The ransom made. The sacrifice complete. He has loved the world to the very end. And there is no more. He has satisfied the Law’s demands. He has removed the guilt and shame of the same. He takes up His power. He rises from the dead. He is the Victory over Satan in the desert, in Galilee and Judah and on Golgotha. He is the Victor, alive, out of the grave, over death.

His power is greater, stronger, than that of the devil. It’s not like the powers of men and the devil, which are always in some sense the power to destroy and seek vengeance, powers of violence. Of course, men and devils don’t color their power that way. That is why we call them deceptive and tempting. Don’t be naive. The President’s power rests upon the strength of the armed forces, as do all governments in this world. All presidents have ruled, by violence and threat of violence. If he were a man of peace he would be toppled in a instant. This isn’t a criticism. King David was also a man of violence. He rules in the kingdom of God’s left hand, in the kingdom of Law. This is the character of the fallen world. Here is the point, if the President is a man of violence, the Lord Jesus Christ is not. He is the Prince of Peace. The President rules by violence and threat of violence. But the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the rule of grace.

The power of Jesus Christ makes no threats, gives no empty promises, puts no one in prison, requires no taxes. It is the greatest power and the power of earthly kingdoms is unworthy of comparison. For the power of the Lord Jesus Christ reveals its strength in forgiveness. He rules by grace with love. He makes citizens for His Kingdom by declaring former rebels to be His own dear children and washes them in the waters of Baptism. Satan’s fantasy of killing God came true but proved to be his utter defeat. Failures, losers, cowards, weaklings the world over and through time were set free from their shame and welcomed back into God’s embrace!

You are the beloved of the Father forever. You live out your days in this wilderness in weakness, knowing hunger and shame, being attacked by the devil. Why weakness, why hunger and shame? Because the student is not above his Teacher. God hides saints in sinners. You follow Him in the Way of the Cross. For it is not by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God that you live. He provides that Word-infused bread for you. So that you do not go to slaughter. You are not alone. Your sins are forgiven. You are holy, righteous, innocent, without blame. But still, you have not fully arrived, the good work begun in you is not yet complete. You are not home. You are still suffering in this barren place full of sin and temptation, full of sorrow and death. And so with bread God gives His Word for life, out of His mouth and into yours. He does not give bread alone, for that is not enough for life. He gives Himself, the Word made Flesh, in the bread, that you would persevere and live. He joins you in the battle. He encourages, strengthens, and nourishes. Out of your mouth then comes the Word He placed inside of you, praise of His mercy, the pious “amen,” and you are clean.

The pastor holds what looks like bread before your eyes. He says: “The Body of Christ.” And you say: “Amen,” That is, “It is true. It is good. It is for me. Thanks be to God. He loves me. He endured all things for me. He feeds me not with bread alone but with Himself and makes me His holy Temple of grace. He has not forgotten me. He attends and serves me. He is for me! This is His Body. Amen, amen!”

This is what the devil does not understand. This is who the Messiah is, how He desires to be known. He is anointed for a Sacrifice, is the Lamb that God provides to make men His. He is caught in His compassion, in His desire to have you. He does it all - hungers in the desert, carries His cross to Golgotha, is mocked by the soldiers - all for you. For this is what it took - His holy Incarnation, His fasting and temptation, His suffering, dying, and rising -to make you His. You are a Bride so beautiful, so precious, that the Bridegroom of grace pays the dowry Himself to have you.

It is the not the way of power and might. It is not at all like the imaginary gods designed by men. You may have heard some armchair theologian argue along the way that all religions are the same. They all want to make men behave. It is not true. Our religion is not a religion of obedience, but of forgiveness. Our goal is not to get you to behave but simply that you would hear the saving Word of Christ. The Lord Jesus received and ate with sinners.

There are no alliterated strategies or secrets that will stop you from sinning on this side of glory, that will stop you from hurting yourself and those you love, or which will grant you sudden prosperity. Christianity is the way of weakness, substitution, and mercy. But there is an answer to temptation. I know you are eager for it. Because nothing bothers Christians more than their failing struggle against sin. Why do you keep sinning? Why don’t you do what you want to do and instead do the evil you don’t want? The bookstores profit from this. But there is no secret, complicated formula, no magical prayer. The answer is simply this: Jesus loves you. That is it. Jesus suffered for you. He has forgiven all your sins and they are not coming back. In the coming Day it will be revealed to all of creation that you are a son of God, well-pleasing to Him. What you suffer now, which is not just pain and sorrow but also temptation and failure, is not worthy of comparison to the glory that will be revealed in you. Behold, even now, you are surrounded, and ministered to, by angels. With them and with the whole company of heaven you laud and magnify His glorious Name, the Name of peace, into which you were baptized. Sin is not overcome by the Law, but by the Gospel.

The Lord Jesus has overcome temptation for you and answered for your sins. You are forgiven. You are righteous. You are Holy. Come, then, and eat the Holy Body, drink the Holy Blood, of your Lord and Savior, and be strong not by will or knowledge but be strong in weakness, in dependence upon the mercy and goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Lessons February 14 - 20, 2010

Daily Lectionary
February 14 Job 10:1–22; John 5:1–18
February 15 Job 11:1–20; John 5:19–29
February 16 Job 12:1–6, 12–25; John 5:30–47
Ash Wednesday Genesis 1:1–19; Mark 1:1–13
Thursday Genesis 1:20—2:3; Mark 1:14–28
Friday Genesis 2:4–25; Mark 1:29–45
Saturday Genesis 3:1–24; Mark 2:1–17

NEXT WEEKS LESSONS: INVOCABIT—The First Sunday in Lent

In the Garden man exalts himself to be a god in place of God. (Genesis 3:1–21) He succumbs to the temptation of the devil, and eating of the forbidden fruit he receives death. But in the sin-cursed wilderness God humbles Himself to become man in place of man. (Matthew 4:1–11) He does not eat but fasts and bears the onslaughts of the devil for us that we may be restored to life. Jesus stands as David in our place to do battle against the Goliath Satan. (I Samuel 17:40–51) Though outwardly Jesus appears weak, yet He comes in the name of the Lord of hosts. He draws from the five smooth stones of the books of Moses and slings the Word of God. The stone sinks into the forehead, and the enemy falls. In Christ we are victorious over the devil. Let us therefore not receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1–10), but seeing that we have a great High Priest, let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14–16).

Collect
O Lord, mercifully hear our prayer and stretch forth the right hand of Your majesty to defend us from those who rise up against us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Old Testament: Genesis 3:1–21 [Fall into Sin]
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 6:1–10 [Now is the accepted time]
Holy Gospel: Matthew 4:1–11 [Temptation of Jesus]

Transfiguration at Concordia Springfield

Luke 9:28-36 The Transfiguration of our Lord
February 14, 2010 “Ears, not Eyes”

I find it very interesting, that in the Holy Gospel, the account of the “transfiguration” of our Lord, that right at the moment the disciples see Jesus in His glory, they are directed not to remember what they saw, but what they hear. “Listen to Him!” Ears, not eyes.

Was that an admonition, a rebuke, because they had not been listening to Him? Parents have to do this all the time, with children who hear only what they want to hear; or who have more important things to do than to listen to their parents! And so the parent’s frustrated plea, “Listen to me!” But children do not want to listen. They want to do. Peter wanted to do. Peter, especially, always wanted to do! And what about us? Do we want to listen, or just do?

Imagine if you had been there, and saw Jesus’ glory. The glory of God, revealed for just a moment, as Jesus pulls aside the veil of His human nature. It is glory He always had – the glory of God from eternity, which He did not lose when He was conceived. He was always the glorious Son of God, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present – He just didn’t fully use those powers that He possessed as He lived to be our Savior and worked for our redemption. He humbled Himself. It is called His humiliation.

But on this day He reveals, for a moment, His glory, as He is “transfigured” – as His figure is transformed, or changed. He shines as brilliant light. Moses and Elijah appear there with Him. It is as if here is heaven on earth. . . . But as this happens, the disciples sleep. For Peter, James, and John, the journey up the mountain was just too much. They were tired. Their eyes were “heavy with sleep.” (You know how that is, trying to stay awake for that TV program that starts too late!) . . . And when they finally manage to wake up, its almost over! They almost missed it! How long had they been there? How long had they been asleep?

And so Peter, naturally, wants to do something! “Wait! Don’t go yet! I’ll build three tents!” (Don’t tell me I climbed all this way and missed it!)

Peter, you haven’t been listening! “Listen to Him!” Listen! They have to go. There is work to be done. Saving work. Cross work.

Seeing Jesus in His glory doesn’t tell the whole story. Just before they ascended the mountain this day, Jesus had spoken of the cross. (Luke 9:18ff) Of its necessity. Peter had confessed that Jesus was “The Christ of God” but He didn’t yet understand what that meant. That it meant dying.

Peter, listen to Him! In fact, if he had been listening, this is exactly what he would have heard in the heavenly conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. We are told that they were talking about Jesus’ “departure,” or literally, His exodus. His cross. For this is what they talk about in Heaven. This is the sole focus – the Lamb of God, slain for the sin of the world.

And how like the first exodus was this scene on the Mount of Transfiguration! Moses is again there. They are again on a mountain top, like Moses was at Mt. Sinai. There is again a cloud that overshadows them. There is the voice of the Father. There are a few people in the cloud, but most stayed at the bottom of the mountain. It was like a replay! But it was, in fact, no replay. They were not talking about that first exodus, but about HIS exodus. A second one, Moses couldn’t finish the first exodus. As we heard in the Old Testament reading, he died on the doorstep of the Promised Land. Moses, the law-giver, couldn’t deliver the goods. But Jesus would finish it. He would cross over and provide entrance into the Promised Land of Heaven. The Gospel does what the Law cannot.

They had to go down. They could not stay. There is work to be done. Saving work. Cross work. And so they go down. Moses and Elijah depart. The revelation is ended. The disciples look up and see Jesus only. And He is all they need. So they go down, and Jesus “sets His face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) That is a nice way of saying to go to His death. He knows what will happen there, in Jerusalem. He knows full well. That is why He is so resolute. That is why He is determined that nothing will stop Him. Neither Satan, nor well-intentioned but ill-informed disciples.

Because you see, Peter, you can’t do it. You may want to do it, but you can’t do it. Only Jesus can do it. Are you listening Peter? And how much more there will be to listen to! There is so much to hear and learn. Jesus prays and teaches how to pray. He explains the Word and teaches with authority. He corrects and rebukes; He encourages and forgives. He speaks the words of His Supper. He gives His baptism. He gives His Spirit and the power of the keys, the power of forgiveness. He speaks His words from the cross. He speaks of His resurrection. Are you listening, Peter?

It is most important that he does listen – and for us that we listen! – for just as seeing Jesus in His glory doesn’t tell the whole story, so too seeing Jesus on the cross doesn’t tell the whole story. Both are necessary. That we know that the man hanging on the cross is, in fact, not just a man, but God Himself. The Creator dying for the sins and rebellion and guilt of His creatures. That fact makes Mount Calvary just as glorious as the Mount of Transfiguration. But that we will not know if we do not listen.

Peter got it, eventually. And so he writes is his second letter: we saw His glory; we were with Him on the holy mountain; but, “we have something more sure, the prophetic word.” (2 Peter 1:16ff) Visuals last but a moment. They are here and then gone. But the Word of the Lord endures forever. (1 Peter 1:25)

So Peter got it. Eventually, he listened. The question is, do we get it? As it was for Peter, so too for us. We have something more sure. Ears, not eyes. Listen to Him! But are we listening? Or are we too busy doing? Are we too busy seeing? And are we believing what we see instead of what we hear?

For what do we see as we look around us? Our eyes will tell us that what we see is not glorious. Our lives. Our situations. Our families. Our suffering. Our Church. Are we not failures? Falling asleep on the job. What are we to make of all of this? And what about those we see who do look glorious? Successful. Rich. At ease. Remember – seeing glory or seeing the cross do not tell the whole story. Listen to Him! Listen to the glorious and crucified One. And our ears, not our eyes, will tell us what truly is.

For only as we listen will we see Jesus only, and see Jesus as He really is. As you read the Biblical accounts of who saw the glory, who saw the cross, who saw the empty tomb, they did not understand what they saw. It is the Word that opens ears, that opens eyes, and that opens hearts and gives faith. And that Word that gave understanding and faith to the disciples then is the same Word that is spoken today and gives understanding and faith to us today. It is His Word, spoken by countless undershepherds. His Word, given us to speak. His Word, that created all things in the beginning, and that still creates faith and life today. His Word that combined with water adopts us as His children. His Word that combined with bread and wine feeds us His body and blood. His Word that speaks upon us His forgiveness. His Word, that tells us that glory and cross and empty tomb all go together – in His life and in our lives. It is His Word.

But are we listening? This week we will enter into the Lenten season, and for many the focus will be on what we do – giving up something for Lent, going to extra services. We, like Peter, want to do. But Lent isn’t about what we do, its about what Jesus did. His saving work. Cross work. Forgiveness work.

He had to go down. To save; to forgive; to suffer; to ascend the cross; to leave the grave. He had to go down, for down is where we are. Down and out. And still He is coming down. Although exalted and ascended in glory, He is still coming down to where we are. Many churches say that Jesus cannot be present with His true body and blood in Holy Communion because He is in glory, ascended into heaven. But that is not the Jesus I know. That is not the Jesus of the transfiguration. That Jesus goes down in flesh and blood, and He is still coming down in flesh and blood, for us Christians to eat and to drink, for the forgiveness of our sins. And it is His glory to do so.

For it is not the glory of the transfiguration, of who Jesus is, that saves us, but the glory of what Jesus did. The glory of the cross. That allowing His flesh and blood to be pierced with nails and thorn and spear and now with our teeth, He would do for us what we cannot do for ourselves – give us life. And so He does.

“And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to Him!” Do not believe your eyes, or your feelings, or your heart. Listen to Him. That is what is most sure. “And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.” And He is all we need.

Daily Readings for February 7-13, 2010

Daily Lectionary

February 7 Job 4:1–21; John 2:1–12

February 8 Job 5:1–27; John 2:13–25

February 9 Job 6:1–13; John 3:1–21

February 10 Job 6:14–30; John 3:22—4:6

February 11 Job 7:1–21; John 4:7–26

February 12 Job 8:1–22; John 4:27–45

February 13 Job 9:1–35; John 4:46–54

NEXT WEEKS LESSONS: QUINQUAGESIMA

The seeing are blind, while the one who is blind can see. (Luke 18:31–43) Jesus tells the twelve that He is going up to Jerusalem to suffer and die and rise again. But they cannot understand or grasp what He is saying. The meaning of His words is hidden from their sight. However, as Jesus makes His way up to Jerusalem, a blind man calls out to Him for mercy. This blind man sees that Jesus is the Messiah-Savior; for he calls Him “Son of David.” Indeed, Jesus is the Lord’s anointed, the keeper of sheep (I Samuel 16:1–13) who goes to lay down His life for the sheep. He is the incarnate love of the Father who suffers long and is kind, who is not puffed up, who never fails us. (1 Corinthians 13:1–13) Jesus opens the eyes of the blind (Isaiah 35:3–7) to see Him not according to outward appearances of lowliness, but according to His heart of mercy and compassion. Those who behold Him thus by faith follow Him to the cross through death into life.

Collect:

O Lord, we implore You, mercifully hear our prayers, and, having set us free from the bonds of sin, defend us from all evil; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 16:1–13 [The anointing of David]

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 [The greatest of these is love]

Holy Gospel: Luke 18:31–43 [Healing of the blind man]

Sermon for February 6-7 Sexagesima

February 6 – 7, 2010

Sexagesima

Luke 8:4-15

“The Harvest”

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The mysteries of the kingdom of God have been given to you, that seeing you would understand and hearing you would believe, that you would turn - repent - and your sins would be forgiven. If you do not understand this parable, you will not understand any parable (Mark 4:13).

This is the first lesson in the kingdom of God: [pause]

THE HARVEST COMES OF ITSELF AND IN UNLIKELY PLACES.

The Sower does not prepare the ground, nor does He sow only where a harvest could be expected. Instead, He casts His Word to the wayside, upon the stony ground and thorny patch. He pays for labor that was not performed.
He welcomes back sons who wanted Him dead. He forgives those who wasted His goods and looked after themselves. He delivers mercy to sinners.
He pours on oil and wine, pays for everything Himself, and promises to come back.

He gives everything - His most precious thing, the Life of His only-begotten - as a ransom to reconcile mankind to His Father, to bestow His Spirit. He does not give His Life only for those who will return His love. [pause] He gives His Life for all: for the good and the bad, for the right and the wrong, for the faithful and unfaithful.

He is no respecter of persons. He has come for those who are sick with sin, weary with death, for those who are haunted by old grudges and oppressed by their own lusts and greed, for those with a scandalous past and secret sins.

He comes for the unrighteous and unworthy, for those being snatched at by demons, trampled with violence, choked by worry and fear, dried up in temptation. He comes to transform them into good ground, that they would heard His Word, be forgiven and cleansed, start anew, and bear fruit with patience.

For the kingdom of God like a man scattering seed on the ground who then goes off to bed. When he rises in the morning he finds the seed has sprouted and grown, though he himself does not know how. It was not by his efforts or wisdom. While he slept the seed rose.

The earth yields it crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain. God provides a harvest. There is more to our lives than simply seeking our next meal. So also the kingdom of God comes of itself: but we pray that it may come to us also. We pray that we may learn to live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. We pray that our heavenly Father would give us His Holy Spirit so that by His grace we would believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

Judged by the standards of men, God is wasteful. Not everyone receives His gifts. Not everyone repents. Not everyone believes. Not everyone is weary with sin and death, tormented by demons and temptations.
Some are quite content in their sins, some think vice has its noble side.

Thus are they snatched away, choked out, or dried up. They do not enter into the kingdom even though it is bought and paid for and offered up to them for free. It is wasted on them. For not every seed bears fruit. Many are called, but few are chosen. But judged by the standards of the holy angels: [pause] God is not wasteful.

He is love. He is generous, merciful, kind, patient, and eager to forgive, not shirking His duty but going as a Lamb to the slaughter, laying down His Life to make us free, rescuing us from Satan's deceptions and torture.

And if some spills over the edge, if some refused outright, [pause] it does not matter. That is what it took for full coverage. That reckless sowing was necessary to get the seed to you. All men were covered so that you would be among the elect. All men were covered that all could know God loves them, as you know [pause] God loves you.

You need have then no doubt about whether you are the elect or not. All men were reconciled to the Father in the death of the Son. All men --including you. The Sower sows His Seed that it would grow, that men would believe. Thus have you been baptized and you do believe. The Word bears good fruit in you and God Himself is pleased.

Even as a great tree, full of flowers and aroma, giving shade to the weary and wood to the builder, is hidden inside a mustard seed, so is new life, hope, and peace hidden in the Word of God. For where it takes root, is watered by Holy Baptism, fertilized with the Blood of Jesus Christ, it bears a harvest a hundredfold.

The grace God gives is greater than the sins He takes away. [pause]
Nothing is wasted. For this Love, this generous and creative Word of God, Jesus Christ Our Lord, is without end. The Kingdom comes of itself. As unlikely as it might seem: it comes to and for you. It cleanses and forgives you. By it, your heart is noble and good. God keeps His promises.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Septuagesima January 31, 2010

“The Landowner's Generosity”

Matthew 20:1-16

Septuagesima

January 30-31, 2010

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lutherans are sometimes accused of being against good works, or at least not promoting them very well. After all, we're constantly harping on the fact that we're saved by God's grace alone and that good works do not make us right with God. To some that sounds like saying we can live however we please. But, of course, we're not saying that good works aren't necessary; they are. It's not the Ten Suggestions, it's the Ten Commandments we're talking about. They're not optional. God has told us to do them, and so we should. We must.

But let me ask you this: If you do good things in order to gain some earthly or eternal reward out of it, is that truly a good work? Or if you do something good out of fear that if you don't you'll be punished, is that truly a good work? In both cases the good deed is tainted, isn't it? It may be good humanly speaking, but it's not in God's sight. For with Him it's not just the outward act but what's going on in the heart that counts. Love and trust in Him is what He seeks. If heaven is the reward we get for living a good life, we're hopelessly lost; because then living a good life would end up being a self-serving thing, which in fact is the opposite of doing good before God.

Think of it this way: If you work at a job just in order to get a paycheck out of it, chances are your heart's not going to be in it. You'll do what's necessary, but you won't care about it like you should. On the other hand, if you'd work at a particular job regardless of the pay, then chances are you'll do much better work; your heart will be in it simply for the love of doing that job. It's true, we can do good work when a self-serving reward is the motivation. But we do our best work when what we're going to get out of it is not part of the equation.

So in truth, God has enabled you to do truly good works by taking the reward out of the mix. The reward is already yours before you even start working, no catch, no fine print. It's been purchased by Christ for you; it's a done deal, whether you entered the vineyard at dawn or at the 11th hour. Your reward, your eternal life in Christ is not in doubt. The denarius is yours through faith, simply by trusting Him. So now what? Now you are truly free to do the work God has given you to do from the heart, out of love for Him and love for your neighbor, without any thought of what's in it for you. All the tainted motives you might have are taken away in Christ. Fear of what might happen to you, self-serving ends no longer have a role to play since Jesus has already given Himself to you with every blessing. You are set at liberty to do good, not because you have to in order to win God's favor, but precisely because you already have God's favor in Christ, and because your neighbor needs you. In a sense you are free to do as you please. For what pleases the heart of faith is not to go back to living in the same old shallow, empty, self-serving ways, but to live in Christ, loving and trusting in God and serving others. That's why it is written that without faith in Christ, it is impossible to please God. Only in Jesus are you truly free to do good.

When we forget that, that's when we'll start to grumble and complain, like the children of Israel in the wilderness, like the laborers in the vineyard who worked all day. You only grumble and complain like that when you think God owes you, that you deserve better based on what you've done. “I've worked harder than that other guy; I've done more for the church. So I deserve better than him.” “I've lived a good life and been a good person. It's not fair that God is letting me go through this hardship.” You can only talk and think that way when you believe it's your works that run the show with God. And when your works run the show, then it's all about you, not Jesus or your neighbor in need.

The laborers in the vineyard wanted the landowner to be fair. But in fact He was more than fair. A denarius is a good and proper wage for a full day's work. That's exactly what they received. The landowner didn't stiff them. It's just that the landowner was extremely generous to the others. He treated even the ones hired at the 11th hour as if they had worked all day. You might say that it was by grace that they received their denarius. The landowner wasn't unfair but good and gracious. Besides, he had the right to do whatever he wished with His own things.

Beware of applying standards of fairness to God, as if the clay can tell the potter how to do his job. Beware, because generally the fairness argument is just a mask for promoting our own interests. That's why we love to complaint about overpaid athletes or Wall Street CEO bonuses. “They don't deserve it and we deserve more for all our hard work; it's not fair.” But God doesn't want to deal with us that way, on the basis of what's fair or deserved, as if we had a contractual arrangement with Him, a business deal. Rather, He wants our relationship to be one of love, freely given, no strings attached. As soon as it's about what we think God owes us, then we're not seeking to love Him but to use Him.

We should beware of wanting God to be fair with us, anyway, because if He were to do that, we'd be in grave danger. Those who think God should work on the merit system with them are spiritually ignorant. If you want fair wages, then here's what the Scriptures say, “The wages of sin is death.” Those who go to hell are really only getting what they asked for, namely, the just and fair payment for their faithless works. “Go your way,” the landowner said. Hell is filled with grumbling and complaining against God. I think that's part of their torment. Like someone who can't stop arguing red-faced that they're right and the other guy is wrong, the damned bitterly disagree with God's judgment and spend all of eternity suffering the anguish of growing more and more angry with such an “unfair” God.

Repent, then, of your bargaining and negotiating with God as if He were against you, as if He needed to be badgered into loving you. Turn away from your anger with Him. Trust that He is good, that He is merciful and abounding in steadfast love. He is blessedly unfair with you, pouring out on you the fullness of His grace and generosity in Christ. He loves you. He will provide you with all that you need. After all, if the Father has given us His own Son, will He not also graciously give us all that is good and necessary and right for us? Remember that the laborers who were hired later in the day went to work without being told what they would be paid, just trusting in the goodness of the landowner. So you also, even though you can't see what the future holds, even if life doesn't seem to be fair, trust in the goodness of your heavenly Father; stake your life on His grace in Jesus. Know that He will give far more than you could ever dream of.

Just like the landowner dealt with those hired at the 11th hour, so the Lord treats you as if you did all the required work, from the beginning to the ending of the day. He does that for the sake of Christ, who did all the labor for you in His perfect life and death and resurrection. What you failed to do, the Lord Jesus has accomplished perfectly on your behalf. He Himself is the true Laborer in the vineyard who brings you the generous reward at the end of the day. All the times in the parable are fulfilled in Jesus on Good Friday. Christ was handed over to Pontius Pilate at dawn. He was crucified at the third hour of the day. Darkness covered the land at the sixth hour, noon. Our Lord died at the ninth hour as the perfect and complete sacrifice for your sin; He who is the Rock was struck, and water and blood flowed forth from His side for your cleansing and your forgiveness. Finally, He was buried at the eleventh hour of the day just before sundown to sanctify your grave and make it a place of rest from which you will awaken and rise in glory on the Last Day.

It is as we prayed in the Introit, “The Lord will save the humble people, but will bring down proud and haughty looks.” Or as Jesus said, “The last will be first, and the first last.” It's not first come first served; it's first come last served and last come first served. The repentant new believer is at the front of the line while the self-righteous lifetime member is at the end.

Unbelievers seek a God who is fair. Believers seek a God who is merciful and gracious. Believers know that it is only by grace that they are even in the vineyard, no matter how long they've been there. They consider it a privilege and an honor to be able to contribute to the health and the growth of the vineyard. They are not jealous of the newcomer or of the one converted in his dying days, but they rejoice that the same mercy that saved themselves has also saved another. Even a faithful lifelong Christian recognizes that of himself he deserves nothing and that it is only because of Jesus that he has forgiveness and life. As it is written, “The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) And again, “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Let us then be truly full of good works by trusting in the grace of Christ alone to save us. Or as St. Paul puts it, let us run in such a way as to obtain the prize of life with Christ, which He Himself has won for us. Let us run with the certainty of faith, setting our hearts on Him, disciplining our bodies and minds, filling them with His words and His life-giving body and blood. Come and lay hold of the denarius Christ earned for you–not because it's owed; but simply because it is His good pleasure to be generous and loving toward you.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.