A Blog of Sermons, Devotional Thought, Religious Topics, and Just fun information and thoughts from Rev. Keith GeRue
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
Between Girard and Virden Illinois
August 24 (St Bartholomew)1 Kings 5:1–18; 2 Corinthians 1:23—2:17
August 25 1 Kings 7:51—8:21; 2 Corinthians 3:1–18
August 26 1 Kings 8:22–30, 46–63; 2 Corinthians 4:1–18
August 27 1 Kings 9:1–9; 10:1–13; 2 Corinthians 5:1–21
August 28 1 Kings 11:1–26; 2 Corinthians 6:1–18
August 29 1 Kings 11:42—12:19; 2 Corinthians 7:1–16
NEXT WEEKS LESSONS: the twelfth sunday after trinity
A man was brought to Jesus who was deaf and therefore also had an impediment in his speech (Mark 7:31–37). In the same way, all are by nature deaf toward God and therefore also unable to confess the faith rightly. For “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:9–17). Jesus put His fingers into the man’s ears, and He spat and touched His tongue. Even so in Holy Baptism water sanctified by the words of Jesus’ mouth is applied to us; and the finger of God, that is, the life–giving Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:4–11) is put into our ears in the hearing of the baptismal Gospel. Jesus’ sighing “Ephphatha” opened the man’s ears, and his tongue was loosed to speak plainly as Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah, “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book” (Isaiah 29:18–24) So also, He who sighed and breathed His last on the cross for us has given us to hear and believe in Him and has opened our lips that our mouths may declare His praise.
Collect
Almighty and merciful God, whose gift it is that Your faithful possess all things pertaining to faith and life, we implore You that we may so faithfully cling to Your promises in this life that we fail not finally to attain to Your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
When you are considering a Bible passage and how it applies to you, one of the things to do is to figure out where you fit in to the story. Who am I in this particular portion of Scripture? Which character represents me, my thoughts, my actions?Well, in today’s Gospel, you’ve got two choices. Either you’re the Pharisee or you’re the tax collector. Either you’re the self-righteous puritan or you’re the thieving, unclean sinner. Not much of a choice is it? But those are your options. And there’s no middle ground. Who are you?
“Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” “Well,” you say, “that’s certainly not talking about me. I know I’m not righteous. Nobody’s perfect.” However, don’t be so quick to dismiss what Jesus says. Sure, I don’t think there’s anyone here who would stand up and say that they’re perfect and righteous. We’ve all made mistakes; we all have our flaws. But on the other hand, most of you think that the flaws you do have aren’t all that serious. And you’ve got pretty good rationalizations for your mistakes. How many of you really think that your eternal life is in jeopardy because of who you are and what you’ve done?
You see, most think, “Sure, I’m not without sin, but all in all I’d say I’ve lived a decent life. There’s more good than bad in me, and certainly that counts for something with God. I try my hardest to do what’s right, and when I mess up, God’s not going to send me to hell for that, is he? I mean, come on, I go to church, I give offerings, I volunteer. Compared to a lot of others in this society, I think I’m doing OK. There’s a lot of bums and weirdos out there in our culture-have you seen Jerry Springer recently? I thank God that I’m not like that. And neither am I like those fat cat corporate CEO’s making ungodly amounts of money. No, I’m just regular working person. I do my best to live a good life, and I think in the end God will reward me for that.”Does that sound a little more familiar? That’s how the contemporary Pharisee talks. If that is how you are tempted to think or talk, God help you and grant you repentance.
The Pharisee’s problem was not that he sought to live an outwardly righteous life. Would that all of us would be more pious and zealous in doing what is good and right. Would that all of us would give the full 10% tithe in our offerings each week rather than financial leftovers. No, the Pharisee’s problem was inward and in the heart; he trusted in himself and in his own deeds to put him right with God. He didn’t place His confidence in what God had done for him but what he had done for God. The focus of his religion was not the Lord but himself.
And you can see that in the way he prays. Five times in this short prayer he uses the word “I.” “I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” In fact, Jesus says the Pharisee prayed “with himself,” almost as if God was the bystander and he was the main event. Beware of prayers and worship in which God is simply there as a prop and window dressing while the focus is really on those doing the praying and the worshiping. In the end that is self-worship and self-righteousness.
God gave His good and wise Law not so that you may justify yourself but so that you may see how much you need His help and deliverance. The Law is there not so that you can see how good you’re doing compared to others. It is there so that you can see how you’re doing compared with the holy God and what He requires. The purpose of the Law is not only to show you how you must live but also to expose how greatly you have fallen short of its demands.
When all is said and done, the Pharisee and the tax collector are in the exact same condition. Though one looks good and impressive and the other doesn’t, both share the same heart disease called sin. Both of them are foul and unclean within. The tax collector is showing symptoms of his sin-disease, whereas the Pharisee seems to have his mostly under control. But both have the same root disorder; both are just a heartbeat away from death, as the Epistle says, “You were dead in trespasses and sins.”
Let me ask you: Who’s in the better position, the man about to go in for heart surgery or the one unaware that he has the same condition who’s about to fall over dead? Who’s in the better position before God, the Pharisee who falsely thinks that everything’s fine, or the tax collector who understands the true diagnosis? Learn from the Pharisee and the tax collector. Believe the terminal diagnosis that the Law has made about you. Humble yourself before God in true repentance; seek His healing, His cleansing, His righteousness.
It is written, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart-these, O God, You will not despise.” The Lord certainly did not despise the tax collector as the Pharisee did. For the tax collector comes not in pride but in lowly penitence and faith. This is not fake humility or going through the motions. The tax collector stands afar off from those praying in the temple; for he knows how his sin cuts him off from God and others. He does not raise his eyes to heaven; for he knows he deserves no heavenly blessing. He beats his chest when he prays in token that he is worthy to be punished severely. He cries out his only hope, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
The tax collector places his confidence and trust not in anything about himself but entirely in the Lord and His mercy. He despairs of his own merits and character and entrusts himself completely to the merits and character of God. He relies not on his own sacrifice but on God’s sacrifice. For when the tax collector prays for mercy, he uses a word that has to do with the offering up of the animals there in the temple. He desires the atonement for sin that only God can provide through the shedding of blood. Remember, it was at these times of public prayer in the temple when an animal would be sacrificed on the altar according to God’s command to cover the sins of the people. Therefore, at the very moment in which the tax collector prays, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” his prayer was being answered there in the sacrifice which the Lord provided. The tax collector trusted in the Lord’s sacrificial mercy, and he yearned for the day when the Messiah would come and bring all these things to their fulfillment.
The Pharisee thought he was righteous, but he is not the one who is justified before God. No, it is the tax collector who goes down to his house justified, declared righteous in God’s sight. And so it is also for each of you who pray in humility and penitent faith, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” For the sacrifice has also been made for you, not on the altar of the temple, but on the altar of the cross. There Christ, the Lamb of God was offered up once and for all. By His shed blood your sins have been fully atoned for, and you have been put right with God. As it is written, “You who once were far off (as the tax collector stood far off) have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” You are justified before God, declared righteous in His sight through Christ. “For 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.” It’s all yours because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I began this sermon by pointing out how, in applying a Bible passage to yourself, it’s good to find where you are in the story. But even more so, it is important to find where Jesus is in the story for you. In today’s Gospel He is there in the temple, the place of God’s holy presence; He is there in the sacrifices, which foreshadowed His own. And Jesus is also there in the tax collector, who humbled himself and was exalted in the end. Even so, it is written that the Son of God humbled Himself even to the point of death on the cross, in our place and for our sins. Therefore, God the Father has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Fellow baptized, to be a Christian is nothing else than to follow in this way of Christ-to be laid low with Him through repentance and death to sin, and to be raised up with Him through faith to new life and the resurrection of the body on the Last Day. God grant you all to know the truth and the wisdom of Jesus’ words, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“Mary Shows the Way” Luke 1:46-55 St. Mary, the Mother of Our Lord – Trinity, Girard Sermon by Rev. Herbert Mueller Jr.
SID President
Introduction Two of our Scripture Lessons today seem to have given us a little bit of Christmas in the middle of August - When the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son, born… - Gospel brings us “Mary’s Song” when she knew she would be the mother of the Savior. All this is because on our church calendar, August 15 is the day the Church remembers St. Mary, as the Mother of Our Lord.
à But why should we remember the blessed virgin Mary? à As Lutheran Christians with the Word of God at the center of our life together o We do not worship or pray to Mary, as some do… because the Word of God tells us to worship God alone, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. o Nor do we place Mary on the same level with Christ, such as many do in the Roman Church.
So WHY do we remember Mary? Ã We bless and honor her, we give thanks to God for her, both because she is THE MOTHER OF OUR LORD, and because we see her as a PRIME EXAMPLE of true faith in Christ.
I have expressed it in my theme for this day – MARY SHOWS THE WAY
Mary Shows Us the Way à The way to receive God’s Word and the gifts of God’s grace à The way to confess our unworthiness and praise God à The way to look to Jesus for everything…
In the portion of Luke’s Gospel that comes before our text, We have the familiar story of the angel Gabriel coming to Mary. Ã You know the story of the angel’s conversation with Mary… The story ends with Mary saying: o I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me as you have said.
Once the angel has explained what God will do for her and in her, Mary simply receives in faith what God has said, and what God will give. Ã So Mary shows us the way to receive God’s Word, and the gifts of God’s grace. o You could also say that Mary is showing us here, HOW TO BE THE CHURCH.
à The Lord speaks His Word, and we are called to say, with Mary, Let it be to me as you have said. à Here’s how to be the Church… The Lord comes to us with His gifts, and we are called simply to receive them in faith. o We hear the word – Your sin is forgiven you – and we say: Let it be to me as you have said… o We receive the gifts of Christ – This is my body… This is my blood – Let it be to me as you have said. o We remember our Baptism – We were buried with Christ by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead, we too may walk in newness of life – Lord, let it be to me as you have said…
Example of my mother – 80 years old, talking about her body. She’s going to turn that one in and get a brand new one. And so will you. And so will I.
That’s the Church’s faith – with Mary showing the way: Lord, let it be to me as you have said.
Once it had been made known to Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was also expecting a child, Mary went to visit her… And after Elizabeth blessed Mary, asking, Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Mary responded with her song – the Magnificat – our Gospel text
In her song, Mary continues to show us the way First – the way to praise God My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
à Mary is not looking to herself AT ALL, but she magnifies THE LORD, rejoicing in God HER Savior. à She is not saying – Look at me! – Look at what I have! Not even, look at what I have from God. à No – She points only to God
So the Church today – you and I – are called to look only to what God does for us. Here’s the next part of her song: For He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. An older translation does it this way – He has regarded the humble… For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.
Martin Luther explains: “Mary… does not glory in her worthiness nor yet in her unworthiness, but solely in the divine regard, which is so exceedingly good and gracious that He deigned to look upon such a lowly maiden, and to look upon her in so glorious and honorable a fashion.” It was not Mary or her humility that was the thing, but that God looked on her, that God regarded her.
What this means is that Mary counts herself completely unworthy of the honor given to her that the should be the mother of the Savior. Yes, all generations shall call her blessed, but only because He who is mighty has done great things, for His mercy is on those who fear Him.
Here’s another interesting take on this from Martin Luther: “Mary confesses that the foremost work God did for her was that He regarded her, which is indeed the greatest of His works, on which all the rest depend and from which they all derive. For where it comes to pass that God turns His face toward one to regard him, there is nothing but grace and salvation, and all gifts and works must follow.”
This attitude, where we look for everything Jesus has done for us, can help us see together what God is really doing here with Trinity Lutheran Church, between Girard and Virden.
We have done some work together here, pastor and people, so I know what you have been thinking about your congregation. We’re only a small congregation. We can’t do much. We can hardly make it as a congregation.
Of course, when you look at your congregation through human eyes, that’s what appears to be true. But that’s not how God looks at you.
Mary’s word here teaches us to see how God regards you, how God looks on the humble estate of His servant, Trinity Lutheran Church… How the mighty one has done great things for you, Not because we deserve it, But solely because of His mercy.
DO you see, then, how Mary SHOWS US THE WAY to look to Jesus for everything. He has shown strength with His arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped His servant Israel in remembrance of His mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.
It’s not Mary, but Mary’s child. Mary is just like us, born in sin of sinful parents, but the Holy Spirit covered her, set her apart and made it so that she gave birth to Jesus, pure and holy, not touched by sin, as we are.
This is what fulfilled all the old promises, that… In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the law.
And then… All of this came true, all of this came to a head, as Mary watched when they nailed her son Jesus up to the cross. That’s where Jesus – showed strength with His arm, nailed to the + That’s where Jesus – scattered the proud, by His humble death That’s where Jesus – brought down the mighty, and where Jesus exalted the lowly… At the cross, that’s where He fills the hungry with good things, those who are hungry for righteousness and forgiveness. That’s where God remembers His mercy, in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.
That’s where God gives us the right to call Him Father, and where we become His beloved sons and daughters. Where we receive His eternal inheritance.
So also NOW… with her song, MARY SHOWS US THE WAY à The way to receive God’s Word and His gifts in faith à The way to confess our unworthiness, not pointing to ourselves, but only to what God has done. à So Mary then, shows us the way to look to Jesus for everything.
Conclusion And with all of this, as we receive the Word of God as Mary did, as we confess, as we look to Jesus… Then this Scripture in our Old Testament Lesson becomes true also for us. I will rejoice greatly in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
There is THAT MOMENT in a wedding, when the bride steps out.
But in a far, far greater way, the Word of God and the example of Mary, teach us to believe, that’s now how God looks on us.
Just as God REGARDED Mary, so in Jesus, He has clothed YOU with the garments of salvation, He has covered YOU with the robe of His righteousness. He has prepared YOU as His lovely bride forever.
Tell the STORY of BEVERLY… She could not believe…
But the good news began to come through for her when the Lord helped her to see… You are the bride of Christ. And, as Mary said, Let it be to me… You are the one He loves … Let it be to me… You are the one He regards… Let it be to me, as you have said
And that’s how MARY SHOWS US THE WAY!
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… for He has regarded the low estate of His servant.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our text for today is the Gospel lesson just read, the parable of the unrighteous servant. We focus on the words of Jesus: And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
Here is a parable Our Lord didn't tell but could have: a certain policeman came home from work and found a thief robbing his house. The policeman's wife and children were tied up, but the thief was caught by surprise and unarmed. The policeman restrained the thief and freed his wife and children. Then he made out his will. He gave all his goods, his house, his car, his pension, and his savings, to the thief. Then he told the wife and children to love the thief as they had loved him. He gave them to the thief as his inheritance. Then he freed the thief and handed him the gun. When the thief put the gun to the policeman's head, the policeman said, “This is good. Now you can have what you want. I give you what you sought to steal. You get what you want and that pleases me.” The thief killed the policeman and moved into his house and they lived happily ever after.
This isn't how policemen, enforcers of the law, behave in our world. But it is how the Lord behaves. It is no less outrageous than a Shepherd dying for sheep or a rancher dying for cattle. The point of all the parables is contrast. Our Lord is not like us. We expect shepherds to fleece and slaughter sheep. We expect Samaritans to walk on by. We expect merchants to buy fields and goods for the sake of profit.
But Our Lord is not like us. He is unlike any shepherd, Samaritan, merchant, father, king, or policeman that we know. Our Lord is righteous and He is merciful.
This is the parable of the unrighteous steward. The Lord is righteous. The steward is not. The steward is wasting the Lord's goods. He must give an account. He can no longer be steward. But the steward is shrewd and self-serving. So he gives away the Lord's goods for free. His motives are altogether evil. He does not want to work. He is ashamed to beg. He seeks to make friends for himself. But it works, and he not only makes friends for himself, he makes friends for the Lord and he is commended by the Lord for it. This is not what we expect. We expect the steward to be further rebuked and punished. If his first actions were criminal, his later actions are double.
So here is the point: the Lord is not like us. An expected Gospel is no Gospel. The Lord wants His goods to be given away. He is generous. His love is extravagant, unexpected, undeserved. The steward fails and wastes the Lord's goods when he holds on to them. But when he forgives debts and gives away the Lord's goods the Lord is pleased and praises him, like a policeman giving away his house to a thief.
This is the power of God unto salvation. The Lord forgives our evil. He loves us despite us. We sometimes think this is like a teacher letting us re-take a test. It costs Him nothing. He is just being nice. It has all the weight of saying “thank you” to the cashier after you pay her. It is being polite. We think this way because we think our sins are small things, little mistakes, that are easily overlooked, and that they don't really concern the Lord.
They do matter the Lord. They would not have concerned Him for He is sovereign and unchangeable. But He joined Himself to our Flesh. He took up our cause by being born as a Man in our sinful world. He walked the earth as one of us, with calluses, bruises, hunger, and fatigue. He used the outhouse and wiped sweat off of his brow. He was lied to and tricked, disappointed and cheated. As a Man, He denied Himself. Our God in our flesh, from the time of His conception through His resurrection, did not allow Himself to fully or always use His Divine rights and powers. That denial meant that He was tempted in every way that we are and worse; that He knew all our physical desires and pains. He knew sorrow from the death of loved ones. He knew betrayal by friends. He knew what it was to be slandered and have your reputation destroyed. He had His heart broken. So too He knew what it was to be mocked, beaten, and spit upon. He knew what it was to die. He not only kept the Law in that He did everything it said to do and did nothing that it forbid, that is, He did not sin; but He also kept the Law in allowing it to do to Him everything it should have done to us. He suffered its wrath and punishment. He took on our flesh to keep the Law that He might then take on our sin and be killed for it, that we would live, that sin would be dead and have no more dominion over us. This is how He gives away the kingdom and saves us.
This always upsets the lovers of money. That is to say: it upsets us. You cannot serve God and mammon. To think there must be more, that the Lord's payment was not enough, that Christians must add to His payment, or that the stuff of this life is what is to be trusted, is to deny the Lord's payment and pronouncement, and to seek to make your own way or add your own certainty.
It certainly does seem too easy to our fallen minds. Our cynical flesh quips: “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” We are scared that the Gospel of Jesus Christ might be a trap or a joke. We do not want to be hurt or disappointed or laughed at. We are afraid to believe. Faith feels risky. We are afraid that is all just a fantasy, beautiful and interesting, but no more real than Middle Earth.
There is also something of a double standard in us. Our fallen flesh likes to think we've gotten where we are by hard work and discipline, but others, especially our friends, have gotten lucky or had things handed to them. We might be willing to accept the free grace of God for ourselves and our loved ones because we know that deep down we are actually good and decent despite our sins, but we aren't so sure about others. They might not appreciate it or understand it. At the very least, a co-payment for grace, as a check for those who will take it seriously, seems reasonable.
Repent. The parables aren't case studies in business practice, law enforcement, family management, or animal husbandry. The Lord is not like us. Thanks be to God: He is not like us. He is gracious and merciful. He loves to forgive. He loves to give away His Kingdom. Find peace in this grace and love. It is not a trap or a fantasy. What we think of the real world is unreal. Death is the fantasy. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He will set you free.
And there is a cost. Your salvation is not free. The Lord God, Jesus Christ, has died for it. He has laid down His life in order to place His Name upon you, to feed you with His Holy Body and Blood. He has made the payment in full, in Himself. Judged by the standards of commerce, farming, and statecraft it is absolutely insane, almost criminal, like an unrighteous steward. But in the Kingdom of God unrighteous stewards are honored and set up as the standard.
The Lord is sovereign. He can do what He wants. What He wants is to have you. For this reason He has taken on your burden and price on His own, by His own compulsion and desire. He forgives your sins. This is what He wanted: to have you forever, to never be separated from you. And He was willing to meet the demands of His own Law on your behalf to obtain you, to make your His friend, to give you His Kingdom.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
